Lost Lamb
by Lux's Sister
Summary: [Alternate sequel to Black Sheep] Bastian Rash's power play may have succeeded, but it only takes one mistake for his plan to unravel in his hands. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially when those women are Steela Gerrera and her scheming court. But the rebels must watch their backs - Bastian succeeded once, and he has no plans to go down again.
1. The Toll of A Bell

**LOST LAMB**

An alternate sequel

…

 **Explanation of the AU**

 **This story is an alternate sequel to** _ **Black Sheep**_ **. If you have not read** _ **Black Sheep**_ **, please do so now. If it has simply been a while since you've read the story, then the information below should jog your memory.**

 **These stories exist in an alternate universe where Lux Bonteri fell off the cliff during the final battle of the Onderon rebellion. After his untimely death, his younger sister Sierra was placed in the care of General Tandin, and rebel leaders Steela and Saw Gerrera accepted advisory positions in King Dendup's court.**

 **At work, Steela met Bastian Lockwood, an adept hypnotist and illegitimate son of King Sanjay Rash. He hypnotized her during a policy meeting and wasted no time before proposing marriage, to which a hypnotized Steela gleefully accepted.**

 **Hero Calvert, Hutch St. James, and Sierra Bonteri, later with Ahsoka's help, launched an investigation to stop Bastian before he wed Steela, but in the alternate ending they were mostly unsuccessful: Saw, while he avoided an assassination attempt, was committed to an asylum; General Tandin was apparently killed, Sierra was betrothed to one of Bastian's lackeys, Ahsoka was sent back to Coruscant, and above all Steela and Bastian married and succeeded the Onderonian throne after King Dendup's "mysterious" death.**

 **This story takes place during the coronation, eight months after** _ **Black Sheep**_

 **And now, I present the alternate sequel.**

…

The clouds lift from Onderon's previously bleak future during the coronation of King Bastian Rash.

The underhanded son of Sanjay kneels as the holy man places the crown on his head, internally gloating. Gloating at his father, who never claimed him. Gloating at his mother who wasn't good enough to bear the name Rash. Gloating at the Gerreras, who once cursed his family and now find themselves a part of it. Gloating especially at Steela, his favorite trophy. The woman he corrupted, wedded, and impregnated. Just the sight of his father's lead enemy heavy with child is enough to make Bastian want to laugh.

And not at all the least, gloating to the three who tried to stop him: Hero Calvert, Hutch St. James, and Sierra Bonteri. He may not have caught the first two, but he has the last. With General Tandin gone and Bastian now her guardian, the engagement contract which became a collar around her neck and secured Ean's loyalty was a cinch.

He's so busy with his mental monologue that he doesn't hear a child's bell ring in the audience.

He doesn't see his pregnant bride's fingers tighten, and he doesn't see her face morph into fear for a half second before returning to her normal, calm composure. He can't be blamed; the transformation is so subtle that one would have to focus very, very hard and know what they were looking for.

In fact, besides the child with the bell, only three people see it.

…

The first witness is Sierra Bonteri.

"Ean," she whispers to her betrothed. "Can I talk to you in the hallway when this is over?"

Ean nods, all too willing to take up an invitation to spend time together. "Sure!"

Unlike Steela, who prayed the atheist's prayer in her time of need, Sierra prays the prayer of the devout when she boxes Ean Gould into a corner and unclasps her necklace. She prays to her family, she prays to the gods of Unifras, and to the mysterious Force she knows next to nothing about.

All she knows is that this is her chance and she needs all the help she can get.

"Sierra?" Ean asks, confused.

"Watch," she orders, and swings her necklace from her fingers, watching as Ean's gaze focuses, then glazes over, then returns to normal.

A mysterious smile falls over her lips.

"Good," she says and returns the necklace to its original place. "Ean, I need your help with something…something to make it so Onderon will have a Queen, with no Kings attached."

…

A young woman is the second.

Hero Calvert elbows her boyfriend. "You see that?"

Hutch nods. "I don't know what did it, but it happened. That's the real Steela if I ever saw her."

"What are we going to do?" Hero whispers, her voice somewhat garbled by the scarf wrapped over her hair and the lower half of her face.

Hutch considers. "I think your backup plan is the best. Let's go home."

…

On Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker leads Ahsoka down the Temple corridors to the Jedi Soul Healers.

"I can't believe it!" Ahsoka cries. "I just can't believe it. He _knew_ we were coming and he had Griff knock Hero out before she pulled the fire alarm, I just know it. I should never have left her alone."

Anakin gently touches her on the shoulder. "I know, Snips. I know."

"Master, the HoloNet says that Saw is in a mental hospital – he might be reckless, but he's not unstable - and Steela is pregnant. _Pregnant!_ This is a conspiracy, and anyone who actually knows those two knows it. Can't the Jedi Council conduct an investigation?"

Anakin doesn't like the way this sounds either, but his hands are tied. "I wish I could, but the Council says that unless they have indelible proof that Steela was forced to go through with the wedding, the whole thing is legitimate."

"But you know it's not."

"I understand." They turn the corner and the dread knots in Anakin's stomach. He doesn't want to do this – good force, he doesn't want to do this to Ahsoka, what with the potential of erasing her memories and all the other horrendous things that he knows can happen when excess electricity is applied to a body. But he remembers what the Jedi Council told him about what would happen if he didn't.

"Just focus on your Soul Healer appointment today." He forces himself to say. "I'm sure you'll feel much better when it's done."

But when he opens the door, another road waits on the table, the look on her face scaring the Soul Healers into absolute submission.

"Pa - Senator Amidala?"

"Hello, Master Skywalker." Padme says coolly. "I dropped by to ask if I could borrow your padawan again. _Protecting people_ is so very, very important."

The double meaning sears into Anakin, but if it means taking care of Ahsoka and defying the Council, he's all for it.

"That sounds good," he says, gesturing to Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, you're assigned to security duty again. This time, try not to involve yourself in secret negotiations and conspiracies."

Ahsoka rolls her eyes. "Very funny, Master."

…

In their new, half-rotted apartment in the worst part of the city, Hero takes out the fruits of the few credits she has left and lays it on the counter while she and Hutch debrief their roommate.

"Was she there?"

Hutch nods. "They both were, and it's definitely happened. I could see it in Steela's face; the trance is broken. She's back in business."

"I've known Steela since I was a kid, and she's careful." Hero pipes up. "She'll bide her time and she won't do anything stupid or rash. She has Sierra with her, at any rate."

"And I've sat idly by for far too long." The man cracks his knuckles. "That traitor has my friend and my ward, and I want them back."

"But your health -."

"Never mind my health," he stands. "It takes more than poison to bring Gregory Tandin to his knees."

 **SIERRA**

Ean stares at me, a dazzling smile on his face.

And I have no clue what to do with him.

"Sierra?" he asks. "What do you mean, 'with no Kings attached'?"

 _That's a really great question, Ean. What_ do _I mean? Murder Bastian in his sleep? No, while personally satisfying that wouldn't do us a bit of good. Anyway, Unifar only knows what Steela would do, what with her being right there._

 _Steela._

"I need you to ask Queen Steela to meet me in the back pantry," I blurt out. "Speak softly, and don't face any of the cameras. I don't want to worry anyone."

Ean nods. Why didn't I think of fighting hypnosis with hypnosis before? It's almost too easy. "I'll talk to her. When would you like it done?"

"As soon as possible," I grab his shoulders. "And let's keep this between us. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Ean, you're the best." Even when he wasn't hypnotized, those words are the best and fastest route to his willpower.

"Thank you," Ean says, staring adoringly after me as he goes off to get Steela.

As he goes, I feel something return to me. Something I thought I'd lost forever.

Leverage.

…

The pantry door pushes open. "Sierra, you'd better be here."

 _"Steela!"_

I've never been happier to see someone in my life. Without the slightest care for what I'm doing I grab her around the waist, pulling her close in a hug.

"Pipe down, Ean said to be quiet," she says. "Step back so I can see you."

As much as I don't want to, I do. Steela pulls back, a quivering smile on her face. "You look different."

"So do you."

"We all do," she releases my shoulders. "Ean tells me you're engaged to him, and I know you'd rather walk barefoot on coals than do that. What's going on?"

My stomach drops like a stone. "Bastian betrothed me to him as a reward when Griff and Ean tried to kill Saw. You remember that happening, right?"

"No," Steela says, looking horrified and disturbed. "Not at all. Is Saw okay?"

"Right, I guess I'd better start at the beginning." I take a seat on the nearest box. "Bastian hypnotized you when you were at work one day, and that's why you married him. Today someone rang a bell in the crowd and it broke the trance."

 _"Is Saw okay?"_ she repeats.

"He's fine," I rush to say. "Well, sort of. Hero and I figured out what was going on and we got Ahsoka to help us, but Hutch figured it out faster and saved Saw. But at the wedding…Hero was supposed to ring a fire alarm to break the trance, but Griff got her before she could turn it on. Bastian told everyone that Saw hit his head falling out of a tree and he, um," I rub the back of my neck, my cheeks flaming under Steela's gaze. "He institutionalized him."

 _"What?"_

I nod. "I sent him a letter on Life Day but I'm not sure if it got out. I only know which one he's in because I snuck into Bastian's office and read his mail."

Steela stiffens again. "Hold on, you live here? Bastian hates your guts. Why aren't you with Tandin?"

A lump rises in my throat. "I-I can't. Bastian k-killed him."

Everyone may say Tandin died of a heart attack, but I don't believe a word. He was in his forties and was the most physically fit person I knew, maybe even more than my father with his big weakness for my mother's cooking and sweets. Tandin and I may have eaten Nana's fried nuna wings every Friday, but it was all in moderation. Nothing so bad as to bring on a heart attack.

No, the thing that killed him was that he was taking care of me.

Steela sucks in breath. "He's dead?"

I nod, blinking hard. "I haven't heard anything about Hutch or Hero, so either they've escaped or they're gone too."

"I met Hero in grade school when she got in trouble for talking back to the principal. She's a sparkplug; if anyone can get away from Griff, she can. Especially if Hutch helped her out."

A thrill of potential pops up in my stomach. Yes, Hutch wasn't at the wedding! He was outside; he could have helped. And if Hero was dead, I don't think Bastian would waste an opportunity to rub it in my face.

"Seriously," Steela continues. "It takes more than the likes of Griff to stop Hero Calvert and Hutch St. James! If Hutch found out Hero was in danger, he would go crazy to save her. I wouldn't want to stand between the Cashier from Hell and his waitress. That would be like signing your own death certificate." She releases my shoulder. "We should get going before Bastian gets suspicious. Just one more question."

"Yes?"

"Is it a boy, or is Bastian just telling everyone it is?"

A smile, a real one this time, splits my face. "It's a boy. When you got your sonogram holos you showed them to everyone. You wouldn't shut up about them you were so excited. I think even Bastian was getting tired of hearing about it."

"Well that's even better," she puts her hands on her belly. "Know where they are? It's making me angry that Bastian got to see my kid before I did."

"I don't know where you put them, but they're probably somewhere in your room."

"Sierra, you're the best."

"Lady Bonteri."

Steela gives me an odd look. "What?"

"Lady Bonteri. That's what you've been calling me for the past few months." My cheeks turn red. "I don't want Bastian to be tipped off by it."

Steela squares her shoulders. "Thanks for the reminder, _Lady Bonteri._ I'll have Ean talk to you when it's time for us to move on to the second phase of our plan."

"What's the first phase?"

"Easy," she says. "We don't tip off Bastian."

 **A/N: I know it's been a long time since the first story was published, but who's excited for some more plotting and** _ **Game of Thrones-**_ **type action?**

 **A few of you expressed interest in an alternate sequel, and I'm excited to write this for you as well. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this adventure just as much as its predecessor. I know it's just as scheme-filled.  
**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	2. Dye or Die

**CHAPTER TWO**

 **HERO**

Hutch, Tandin and I take a seat at our rickety table and spread out the datapads and pieces of flimsi Tandin filled with his careful script while he recovered from his near-poisoning.

"With our numbers, there's no way to pull off a concentrated assault on the palace," he says. "At any rate, Bastian would know what we wanted and lock them away. We would never get near the girls or anything incriminating. Hutch, is there any way you can get into the palace's systems, or even send a HoloMail to Steela?"

"Not a chance," Hutch says. "Bastian knows what he's dealing with. I can't find any holes in his system, and yes I have been trying. And you can forget about contacting Steela with HoloMail. Unless Bastian's even cockier than we think, he has her password. Heck, he probably cloned her account to send everything straight to him."

"How do you know this?" I ask.

Hutch shrugs. "I may or may not have used a rude customer's rewards card to get his HoloMail address, clone it, and put everything in his spam folder back into the inbox. He didn't get it put back in order for days."

I roll my eyes. _My boyfriend the outlaw._ "Of course you did, Hutch."

"Hey, what can I say? I got my hacker handle for a reason." He shrugs. "But that's beside the point. Electronically, the palace is impregnable. Even if I tried to get in, I would need to be in the actual building with access to a hardline."

"That only leaves us with my plan, which is sort of a good thing since I spent part of our grocery money on something for it," I announce and open that file on the datapad. "Infiltration. If we can somehow get into the palace and establish face-to-face contact with Steela or Sierra, then we can attack Bastian from two different directions. He can't clone a conversation."

"It's sound in theory," Tandin admits. "The question is how to get inside. We would have to keep our names and faces away from the operation. If Griff, Bastian, or Ean lays eyes on one of us we're dead men. So how do you propose getting in?"

"Simple. Meet Grace."

I turn the datapad around. "Hutch helped me come up with a new identity. This is Grace. She's been a ladies' maid for about three years, and it'll be enough to sneak her into the palace once a job opens up."

"Which, of course, will be happening much faster than expected." Hutch chimes in.

Tandin isn't convinced. "And your appearance?"

For an answer, I plop a bottle of peroxide on the table. "Think he'll recognize me with a new color?"

"It's almost sad," Hutch says. "Your hair is such a great color right now."

"I'm sad to see it go too, but if it'll help get Bastian off the throne it's worth it. Thank God for hair dye." I check the label on the peroxide. "Guys, I think I'm going to need your help to do this."

…

"Careful not to get it in my eye!"

Hutch turns the spray bottle. "Relax, babe. I've got this."

"Your entire cosmetology education came from a few HoloNet tutorials." Tandin points out, placing our soap and my comb by the sink. "Hero, the process may not be done yet but you look lovely."

"Thanks Tandin." Hutch runs the comb through my hair to spread the peroxide. "See, it's getting light already. You're going to be a bombshell."

All I care about is being unrecognizable. I wasn't really going for the "bombshell blonde" look, but if Hutch thinks it's so, then all the better. After all most palace handmaidens wouldn't have an at-home peroxide dye job at the hands of their inexperienced boyfriend.

"I mean, look. _Look!"_ Hutch crows. "I'm getting this down. If I ever get tired of being a hacker, I should be a stylist."

"More like a stand-up comedian." I roll my eyes.

"Aw, come on." He says, pinning a section of my hair up. "Let me explore alternative career choices." _He can never resist hamming it up._

"Stand-up comedy suits you, Hutch." Tandin interjects. "Hero, the HoloNet says you need to let your hair process, preferably in a warm and light location. I put a chair by the window just for you."

"Thank you," I stand up and go over to the window, making sure to bathe my head in sunlight. "All right, so what's the plan after I get into the palace? I'll be busy acting as a liaison between them and the outside world, so you guys will have to have an "outside world" for me to communicate with."

"We need to contact Ahsoka again," Tandin says. "If we're to rescue Saw from whatever institution Bastian's put him in, we need a Jedi."

"What about the Soul Healers?" Hutch asks.

"Hutch, have you ever met Padme Amidala face to face? She may look like some delicate politician, but that woman can be scarier than a rancor." She sure was when she read Sierra the riot act for sneaking off to Coruscant without Tandin's knowledge. "I would be surprised if she hasn't turned the Soul Healers into force-sensitive piles of quavering jelly. All we should have to do is call and they'll happily do anything we say."

"What if the Council doesn't give their permission?"

Hutch and I share a look.

"As far as we can gather, the Jedi Council's permission regarding anything to do with Onderon has always been a little wishy-washy." Hutch admits. "They didn't want to get involved with the rebellion in the first place, and I am ninety-nine point nine percent sure they didn't authorize those rocket launchers Skywalker sent to us."

"In short, we can get around pretty much anything of that extent," I interrupt. "The hard part will be convincing Ahsoka to set foot on this rock again. I know I wouldn't."

"You're probably right, but we at least have to try. Bastian doesn't seem like the type to put Saw in a hospital with rinky-dink security. And hospitals are _notorious_ for using intranets to run their systems, just to stop people like me from stealing protected health information. What I said about hardline access still stands."

"Bastian just seems to know what to do to make our lives harder, doesn't he?" I quip.

"Wouldn't be surprised if he made the whole planet go analog again."

Tandin clears his throat, snapping us back to reality. "We need to think of ways to find where he is and rescue him. Saw is strong, but no sane person can endure a psychiatric hospital forever without losing their mind. That's the last thing we need."

"No joke. If we're going to save Steela, we need Saw's help. Forget about Bastian, if we left him in that hospital and she found out, she'd feed us to fambaas!"

Tandin snorts. Does he think I'm joking?

"I'm not kidding."

"Hero, I think it's time for you to rinse out your hair."

Good; I can feel my scalp becoming irritated from the peroxide. "Hutch, will you help me comb this out so I don't miss any?" I ask and stick my head under the faucet.

"Sure," Hutch opens the cold tap and I flinch from the cold. "Sorry, but the HoloNet says you need to use cold."

I grab the counter. "Just get it over with before I freeze to death."

Hutch carefully rakes the comb through my hair, making sure no peroxide remains tangled in the roots. After a final once-over, he shuts off the tap and hands me a towel. I wrap it turbanlike around my head, squeeze it, and then unwrap it to use the dry ends on my hair.

I get a good look in the dirty mirror above the sink. My formerly dark hair is now a brassy blonde, which seems to offset the proportions of my face. It's as if my beak of a nose as shrunk.

Good. That's what I need to complement the bulk of my disguise.

"I'll put the finishing touches on your main costume piece," Hutch says, staring at me. "But before we do that, I want to tell you something. I _definitely_ have a thing for blondes now."

 **STEELA**

I honestly thought I was going to get an hour of solitude when Ean dropped me off at my bedroom doorway.

"Good evening, your grace," he said stiffly, waited until I stepped inside, and then walked off.

Usually I would be uncomfortable with being led around by a thirteen-year-old, but at the moment I'm just glad he's leaving me alone. I may barely remember the layout of this bedroom, but it has a sense of being partially mine that I can detect even through my confusion.

And also, I really do want to find my sonograms.

For the first order of business I use my thumb and index finger to pry the wedding ring from my finger and unceremoniously drop it onto the nightstand. I don't ever want to wear it again.

With the ring out of the way, I rub my hands over my forehead to dispel the headache blooming behind my eyes. Sierra said this was normal, and I don't dare ask for painkillers because I'd have to explain why I need them. I don't even know if it's safe to take them while pregnant, and Bastian would never let me have them if it wasn't. Heck, I wouldn't even want to take them then.

I turn my attention around the room, looking for anything that I can use to bring leverage against Bastian. At first glance, nothing. A search of his closet yields the same. The snake must be keeping everything either on his person or hidden somewhere I'll need more time to find. Saw learned the hard way that you can't hide so much a speck of dust from Steela Gerrera. It's simply a matter of how long it takes for me to find it.

"Wherever you have your dirty little secrets, I'll hunt them down." I growl. "And I'll use them to get the heck out of here before you get another glimpse of my baby."

I take a deep, cleansing breath and continue on my search. The heavy lifting can wait until I have more background information and time to formulate a strategy. But right now, I need to rest before I do something I'll regret.

I grab a nightgown from my drawer and step into the bathroom to change, struggling to get out of my dress. Thank the universe one of the ladies' maids I didn't even know I had helped me out of the coronation gown, or I'd be a helpless tangle of clothes.

"Steela?"

I've never been so glad to have made the decision to change in the bathroom in my life. "I'm here, Bastian."

"I hear fabric. What are you doing?"

"Just getting ready for bed."

"By yourself?" Frustration peels off Bastian's voice. "Open the door. I'll call your handmaidens. Steela, you're going to tangle like a fly in a spider's web doing that."

"Thank you, but it's done already." I slide the nightgown over my head and open the door. Bastian stands outside, an annoyed expression on his face. "I'm sorry. It must be the hormones."

"Never you mind what it was about; call your maids next time." He orders and takes my hand. "Come, it's getting late."

The insinuation of what he wants flips my stomach, but I swallow my disgust. If I'm going to play the hypnotized bride, then sleeping in the same bed with Bastian is a must. When he finally lets go of my hand, I lie on the very edge of the bed facing outward, hoping to maximize the space between us.

And then I see it. My sonogram holos are framed on the nightstand.

At first it looks like a random blur of black, gray, and white. And then one of the gray blobs strikes me with its familiar shape – it's a baby's head. An honest-to-goodness baby's head. Next to the baby's head is a fuzzy shape, attached to what looks like an arm.

It hits me. The baby's sucking his thumb. He's sucking his thumb just like Saw and I did when we were babies. I stare at the image, barely able to wrap my head around it.

Bastian touches my shoulder and snaps me out of my dream, holding out a palm with two caplets. "Did you remember to take these?"

I shake my head. Taking prenatal vitamins wasn't exactly on my priority list. "Take them," Bastian orders, and puts the tablets in my palm. "It's important for him to be born healthy."

"Right," I dry swallow the pills and lay back down, praying that the entire thing is a dream.

Bastian sighs, looping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. "Honestly, Steela, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. You're warm," he notes. "Do you think you might be sick?"

"No."

"Good." He follows my gaze to the framed sonogram of the baby sucking his thumb. "Adorable, isn't he? We should name him Sanjay."

 _What? No way!_ "That's a nice idea. I'll write it down."

Bastian's hand creeps onto my belly and stays there. "He'll be born soon. My son. My heir."

Anger fills my gut. Because whatever anyone says, this is _my_ son. I don't care if Bastian helped to create him, he is _mine._

Out of sheer instinct I intertwine one hand with Bastian's, moving it both away from me and from the baby. He seems happy with it as he merely shifts to get comfortable and then relaxes, his breaths becoming deep and even.

I place the other on my belly, as if it'll send a mental message to the baby. _Don't worry, little guy. I'm here, and I'm not going to let him anywhere near you._

 _It's only a matter of time. I'll figure something out, and then you'll be far away from here with me and Sierra, and your Uncle Saw if I can help it._

 _Just hang on for a while, and then you and I won't have to worry about Bastian ever, ever again._

 **A/N: Steela may be pregnant, but that doesn't make her any less dangerous. (Heck, it might even make it worse). I'd say she's up there with Suu Lawquane and Mina Bonteri in terms of dangerous moms.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, McAwsome, and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	3. The Many-Faced Waitress

**CHAPTER THREE - THE MANY-FACED WAITRESS  
**

 **HERO**

"I've got bad news," Hutch says after one of his attempted intrusions. "The security system Bastian installed has facial recognition. If Hero goes anywhere near there, she's cooked."

"So we're back at square one?"

"No," Hutch says. "We just have to change the plan. We need an actual, real handmaiden."

…

Tandin looks me up and down: new hair, my favorite yellow dress, and old boots on my feet. Not a scarf in sight.

"You can't possibly go out like that," he says sourly. "You've had to conceal your face almost every time you've walked out the door; what makes you think Bastian's men won't be watching for you this time?

"They will." I concede. "The hair will buy me enough time to get what I really need."

"And what is that?"

Hutch points to a gizmo on the table: a personal-sized disk with more than a few signs of wear-and-tear.

"This is a holographic disguise matrix." He says. "It uses hologram technology and vocal emulators to create an almost-perfect, portable disguise."

Tandin looks at it skeptically. "Let's see it work first."

Hutch grins. "Certainly." He presses a button on the matrix, and a hologram pops up. It's a young woman with brown hair, a big nose, and a self-assured smile.

I blink hard. It's me.

Hutch steps into my image and a shimmering runs over his body, before my boyfriend disappears and leaves my mirror image in his place.

Hutch swings his/my hips. "So, think Bastian would recognize me in this?" he asks in my voice.

Tandin looks impressed. "How did you get your hands on something like this? The price must be astronomical."

"About that," Hutch says, making the same dismissive gesture I make when someone asks me a question I don't like. "This matrix in particular happens to be super illegal. The guy who I got it from said something about Naboo and the Chancellor, but what really matters is that he sold it for less than retail value."

"That's still a lot of money," Tandin argues.

"I took out a loan." Hutch rubs the back of his/my neck. "A big loan."

"How big?" I ask, dreading his response. If I know Hutch, it was big. And more than likely illegal.

"Not that big," he lies. "It was only about half of what most people take out for their student loans."

 _"Hutch!"_

"What?"

I shudder, trying not to think of the actual monetary amount. "Please turn that thing off. It's creeping me out."

Hutch shuts off the disguise matrix. "Anyway, you can see how well it works. But it needs an original image and voice recording for it to work. And if Hero's going to use it to be a handmaiden, then we need an actual handmaiden. According to what I've seen, one of them runs errands in the market every other day at ten. That's our chance, both to record her and to get rid of her."

"How do you propose getting rid of her?"

"I'm just the tech guy. I left all the strategy stuff to Tandin." he says, slipping the matrix into his pocket. "So, Tandin? You got a plan?"

…

Tandin's talked us through the grab. We rehearsed. We hammered out every last detail.

But still, I find myself getting nervous when the handmaiden comes into view.

I cast my gaze to Tandin, who nods assent first to me, then to Hutch.

I count to five, and then move in. The handmaid turns near a flower stall.

 _"Okay," Hutch said back when we were briefing. "If this vocal emulator is going to work, then I need the handmaiden to say every phoneme in the Basic language. Otherwise, your actual voice is going to come through and nobody wants that."_

 _"Okay, so my job is to make her talk?"_

 _"Not just make her talk, you have to make sure she hits every phoneme."_

I shove past some merchant selling spare parts and slam against the handmaiden, knocking her purchases to the ground.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I cry and bend to help her pick them up. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you." She finishes picking up her share and holds her hands out to take what I have in my arms.

"Oh no, are you sure?" I prompt, still holding her stuff. "I mean, I could have given you a bruise there. Right, I could have given you a bruise?"

"Possibly." She says stiffly, still holding out her hand. I can't believe my misfortune – out of all the handmaidens, we had to go after the most closed-mouthed.

"Yeah, I thought so. You know, when my little sister wants to say all is forgiven, she says 'the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.'"

It may be the least subtle trick in the book, and I can feel Tandin's annoyance from across the square, but I do not care a twig.

The handmaid sets her teeth and forces "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."

I shut the emulator off. "Great. Have a nice day!" I chirp, shove her stuff back into her arms, and skip off. No sooner has the handmaiden taken three steps then Hutch saunters in front of her.

"Hi, I'm with the Reddy Mart and we're conducting a survey!" he yells, cutting her off. "You'll participate? Great! Just step off to the side where we can do business with a little peace, and we're good."

"No thank you." The handmaiden snaps, but Tandin blocks her path.

"I'm sorry," he says. "Here, if you just turn around then you should be able to be on your -."

The handmaiden draws herself up to her full height. "I know a setup when I see one. What kind of scheme are you running with the girl in yellow? Trying to rob me?"

Hutch looks over his shoulder once, and then grabs the handmaiden and covers her mouth as Tandin sticks her with a small needle.

"This is just something to help you relax," he soothes, takes her by the arm and leads her into the nearest alley. I follow.

"Anyone notice?" Hutch asks while Tandin guides the handmaiden onto a box to sit.

I shake my head. "We blocked all the sightlines. How's our friend here?"

"Much better after Tandin juiced her." He checks the matrix. "We have all the pictures and sounds we need. Babe, you ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be. Do you have everything ready for her?"

Hutch nods, and his face falls. "Yeah, we can keep an eye on her. Let me get this up for you." He says and boots up the matrix. The handmaid's likeness appears and I step in. A blinding light shimmers across my eyes, and then fades.

Tandin nods. "I couldn't tell the difference if I didn't know."

Hutch looks nervously at the matrix, then at the handmaiden. "It better. At the rate we're going, we're all going to be broke for the rest of our lives."

"Cheer up, babe." I say, and gently kiss him on the cheek before turning around to head toward the palace. "At least we won't be paying taxes to Bastian."

 **AHSOKA**

"The Council was going to do _what?"_

When Padme first mentioned that my Soul Healer appointment may not have been benign as Anakin let on, I didn't believe her. But luckily (or unluckily, depending on who you're asking) Padme Amidala is not a woman who backs down easily. She simply grabs the copies of the doctor's orders and shows them to me.

I hold the pieces of flimsi up to the light, unable to believe what's on them. "They wanted to try electroconvulsive therapy?"

Padme nods, her face belying her absolute disgust. "It's been proven in some cases to help with severe depression and they believed it was necessary. If only they took the time to get to know you, they'd have realized you only need time and a chance to express yourself."

I can't take my eyes off the paper. "Anakin would never agree to this!"

"He didn't." she says dourly. "When he refused them the first time, the Council threated to reassign you to someone who would."

The words on the flimsi burn into my brain. _Padawan Tano, depression, extended grief over loss of friend, attachment, electroconvulsive therapy, memory loss –_

"How is this legal?"

"Believe me Ahsoka, I asked the same questions."

I sit down, the order crumbling in my hands. "Why didn't he at least tell me?"

"He didn't want to worry you, and neither did I. Instead, I took every measure I could to protect you from them."

"Then why was I in their office?"

She takes a seat beside me, her skirt swishing with her movements. "Ahsoka, Anakin and I would never let anything happen to you on our watch. How he managed to stall the Council's order for seven months is beyond me. He let me know when your appointment was, and when I found out I managed to clear my schedule. We're a team, and this team's job at the moment is to protect you as best we can. Which we will keep doing until this whole thing blows over."

"When will it blow over?"

I've got her there, and she knows it.

"I'm not sure, Ahsoka." Padme admits. "All I can hope is that it'll be soon. I don't want the Council to get any wrong ideas."

"That's not it." I drop the paper. "How come they're so concerned with me, but they don't bat an eyelash at an obvious conspiracy on Onderon? Hutch found strong evidence that Bastian is King Rash's son. What if he realigns Onderon with the Separatists?"

"I've thought about that as well," Padme says. "Unfortunately I don't have Mina Bonteri to fall back on. The new senator wasn't interested in talking to me, Senator Organa, or Senator Mothma, but he did acquaint himself well with Senators Dodd and Burtoni."

I wince internally. That says enough right there. "What about a profiler? Couldn't they profile Steela using the file for the rebellion, compare it to her behavior now, and have their proof that something's wrong?"

Padme shakes her head. "It would be a good idea if she wasn't a teenager. Those involved could simply wave it away as growing up. She was sixteen, almost seventeen during the rebellion and she's eighteen now. I know I changed a lot during those two years, as did you."

"Okay, so what can we do? What evidence will they _take?"_

"A doctor would have to diagnose altered mental status at the time of the wedding, but if they were to do it now they would diagnose prenatal psychosis. That wouldn't help your friend at all."

"What about -?"

"And no," Padme interrupts. "Programming a medical droid to backdate the file will not work. It needs to be done by a sentient doctor, who likely won't risk their medical license by backdating their note."

Well there goes that plan. "Anything else?"

She drums her fingers on the armrest. "Divorce proceedings. If she were to divorce him do you think she would try to get an annulment?"

"Definitely. Steela made a few comments about religion, and Barriss told me the Unifras require annulments for divorcees."

"Perfect," Padme says. "The Church of Unifar is very, very thorough with annulment proceedings. If there's something wrong and they catch it, the Onderonian courts will have to investigate at the very least. Don't even get me started on the separation of church and state."

I know not to; I asked Barriss and it turned into an hour-long explanation. How she stayed awake through all that research absolutely boggles my mind.

"So we have to get her to divorce him."

"Yes, and apply for an annulment."

 _Well good luck with getting that, Ahsoka. There's no way she'd do that if she was hypnotized. Heck, I bet Bastian wouldn't let a lawyer within a parsec of her! And how long do we have until the baby's born, anyway?_

I look around the apartment. It's huge – we have enough room for two girls and a new baby, right?

I mentally smack myself. I _definitely_ wasn't considering kidnapping Sierra and Steela.

Padme points at me. "I know that look. _No."_

For the millionth time, I question whether or not Padme has some nominal degree of force-sensitivity.

"We'll learn something." She says confidently. "Until then, keep brainstorming. But before you put _any_ ideas into action, tell me first. Anakin may have passed on his recklessness, but I won't let it interfere with your life as well." She closes her eyes. "I didn't know what I signed up for when I met the both of you, but I did it anyway. Force grant me patience!"

 **A/N: I know many of you were waiting for Ahsoka and Padme to show up, and here they are. Who's excited to see them navigate this conspiracy? And Hutch and Hero's holographic disguise matrix may seem familiar to you, because it's the same one from "Crisis on Naboo". Whoever picked it up wanted to unload it, and fast.  
**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, McAwsome, and Johnt12345 for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	4. Hide-and-Seek With Handmaidens

**CHAPTER FOUR - HIDE-AND-SEEK FROM HANDMAIDENS  
**

 **SIERRA**

Any prospect I have of seeing Steela today has probably just been shot in the foot. When I told Octavia that I had to ask her what she wanted for her baby shower, she reminded me that (a) Steela is meeting with her friends today, and (b) I'm not invited to the baby shower anyway, so why bother?

When I was first brought to the palace and Octavia appeared in my room, I assumed she was there to do the normal things I assumed handmaidens do. Fixing hair, helping people get into corset-laced dresses, all the things my mother did for me when I was little had to dress formally. Big mistake. Turns out Bastian hired her directly, and I wouldn't doubt the job description said "Watch Sierra and Steela like a hawk." Unifar help the soul who tries something on Octavia.

I swear she was an ace lawyer in a past life. Or maybe a Jedi, because I can't as much as go to the refresher without her appearing and demanding an explanation.

In short, she's the best possible person Bastian could have picked to watch me, from his perspective anyway. I've tried to ditch Octavia exactly once, and there's a reason I didn't attempt again.

I open one of my holobooks and pretend to read, my eyes cast on the margin. _Come on Sierra, time to think up a plan. You haven't come this far to be stopped by a handmaiden._

 _Octavia is not a handmaiden!_ My common sense cries. _She's a guard dog in a handmaiden's body! Am I crazy? If I go anywhere without her, I'll have to be escorted by somebody else._

 _Wait a minute…_

I grab my comlink and tap out a message to Ean: _Want to go for a walk?_

That should be innocuous enough if Bastian sees it.

Within thirty seconds, I have a reply. _Sure! I have to make some deliveries first, but then my schedule is free._

Poor Ean. Ever since Bastian took the throne, he basically made him into his and Griff's personal errand boy. Ean runs around the palace making deliveries, placing orders, and doing other menial chores. Everyone, myself included, has turned him into a pawn.

 _Oh no, does that make me as bad as Bastian_? I banish the thought. I can always remove Ean's hypnosis once this is done, dump him once and for all, and get on with my life with a clear conscience. But at the moment, there's no time for moral qualms. Just efficiency.

 _I'm starting to see where Lux was coming from when he pulled that stunt on Carlaac. Maybe the tendency to make stupid plans really_ is _genetic._

I turn my eyes up from my datapad. "Octavia, Ean's taking me to the gardens soon."

"Let's see him come to escort you." She says gruffly.

"Okay," I agree. "He has to do some stuff first, but then he'll be up."

She only crosses her arms. "Good."

…

Ean knocks on my door ten minutes later.

"Hi, Ean!" I greet and jump up from my seat. "Are you ready to go?"

Ean nods. "I am. What part of the gardens do you want to see?"

"Oh, wherever." I lean in and whisper into his ear. "Where's the Queen?"

"The north garden, with her friends. Why?"

"Because that's where we're going."

…

The garden walls echo with women's prattle.

From my vantage point on a bench and next to Ean, I can see their table. The other two women, noblemen's daughters, are knocking back what looks to be an impressive amount of wine. Steela sips on grape juice. From the way she glances at her lap every so often, I can only guess that she has her comlink on her lap and is using it to glean information about the women. Now all I have to do is get her attention.

But the heavens smile down on me, and Steela looks over a lady's shoulder to spot me on the bench. There's no hiding from a sniper; they see everything.

I tap Ean on the arm. "Ean, I forgot my sweater. Can you go grab it for me, please?"

"You can borrow mine," he says eagerly and actually starts removing his cardigan.

I flounder for a second before I come up with an excuse. "I don't think it'll fit and, um…I need something from the pockets! It's the pink one in the coatroom."

Ean looks dejected. "Oh, okay. I'll be right back." He says and walks away.

The second he leaves Steela says something to her companions, stands up, and walks in the general direction of the palace. Once she's behind a hedge she doubles back and motions for me to come. I jog over.

"Midmorning walk with the betrothed?" she asks.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah. Luncheon date?"

This time Steela can't hide her aggravation. "I don't even know these people! I've been stalking their HoloNet profiles looking for information."

"Thank God we get reception out here."

"No joke," she mutters. "We have to make this quick; I told them I was going to the bathroom. Do you have anything I need to know?"

"No, I was kind of hoping you did…"

She shakes her head. "I'm still trying to figure out how not to raise suspicions. How did you get rid of Ean?"

Oh, yeah. That could potentially be really important. "About that. Ean … Ean is hypnotized."

Steela's eyes stand out. "Bastian hypnotized him? What for?"

 _"Bastian_ didn't hypnotize him." I avert my gaze. "I did."

She lurches forward and grabs my forearms. "You did what?"

"I hypnotized him." I squeak. "Lux taught me how to do it when I was a kid."

"Please tell me you're kidding," she begs, nails digging into my flesh. She wants to shake me, I'm sure of it. "You hypnotized a part of Bastian's court _inside the palace,_ and made him into your yes-man?"

"Not 'yes-man', not really." I defend myself.

This time Steela actually shakes me. "Sierra, are you crazy? If you could figure out that I was hypnotized from the way I acted, then Bastian can too! Ean works for him."

She can probably tell from the look on my face that I didn't consider it. "He barely looks at him," I squeak.

She sighs and releases my shoulders. "There isn't anything we can do about it now. The next time you think of trying anything like that, talk to me first. I don't want this plan to fall apart because one of us was reckless."

"It's really not that -."

"With Bastian, everything is dangerous." She cuts me off. "I need to get back to the table before the others get suspicious. Go back with Ean and wait for further instructions. I'll call for you next time, when I have an actual plan."

"Are you sure? The handmaidens have eyes in the back of their heads."

"I'm sure," she scoffs. "I led a rebellion; I can shake a handmaiden or two."

 **HERO**

"My name is Ivy."

I repeat that to myself as I walk into the palace, praying nobody can see past my disguise. Hutch gave me the real Ivy's uniform in case the matrix breaks, but if that were to happen my face would be all the security system needs to alert Bastian.

"My name is Ivy."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see one of the other handmaidens coming down the hallway. I jog up to her. "Where are you headed?"

The girl rolls her eyes. "You'd think the ladies outside have wine running through their veins in place of blood."

"Isn't that right?" I take a shot in the dark. "It's the Queen and her friends, correct?" the girl nods. "Thank goodness her Highness can't drink!"

She sighs. "She's with her friends, and that's all his Highness cares about. He's worried that she'll get lonely with him not being there all the time."

 _Or he wants her under surveillance at all times._ "Soon she'll have a little one to keep her company. Do you want me to take the wine out to them for you?"

The girl shakes her head. "No, I'm almost done. At any rate, you're busy too."

 _Oh, if only Hutch had stolen the real Ivy's schedule._ "You have that right. So, what needs done around here?"

She stops in her tracks. Oops.

"You just came back from the market, didn't you? You still have your duties before you can go on break." She looks over her shoulder. "I'd better get going; the Queen's friends aren't very patient."

As she runs off, I realize that this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. How am I supposed to do anything to help if I don't know what Ivy's duties are? Well, there's one way to find out. "I'll switch with you."

"What?"

"I can take over for the Queen if you'd like." I mentally cross my fingers. This happened all the time at Good Eats when Valerie didn't want to wait on Griff's table.

At the sound of the proposition, my new coworker's eyes light up. Wow, she must really hate Steela's "friends". "I'll see you on break!" she chirps, shoves the wine into my hands, and runs.

I head out to the garden, a smug smile on my face. Even I know how to find the gardens since the service entrance is close enough. And once I'm outside, I just have to follow the chatter to find Steela's table.

When I emerge with the wine in my hands, two of the women practically sigh with relief. Steela just looks tired; she was never good at small talk.

"But enough about me," a lady with clearly dyed blond hair says. "How is your pregnancy coming along, your Grace?"

"It's fine, so far." Steela folds her hands on her lap, over an active comlink screen. "No more morning sickness."

"Well I'd hope so!" Blondie cries, grabbing her wine glass a half second before I start to refill it. I barely manage to stop pouring in time. "You're almost eight months along. It should be gone by the first trimester. Are you alright?"

If only she knew. When my mom was going to have me, she threw up round the clock for seven months.

"Mine just held on a little longer." Steela says. "Thank you for your concern, but Bastian and the doctor say that everything is normal."

"That's good. We wouldn't want a sick prince."

"No, we don't." she rests her hands over her now-sizable belly. "I only have two more months until he's born, Bastian has a son, and I can drink again."

Blondie laughs and knocks back her glass. Holy cow, this woman must have gone through a whole carafe!

The other lady smiles. "Steela, you always are the comedian. At least we're here to stay, and we won't be committing treason or, God forbid, die on you!"

I tighten my fingers. Steela, Dono, and I were inseparable right up until Dono died. Growing up, the Separatists, rebellions, and now Bastian couldn't keep us apart. If this chick thinks that she can get away with dissing Dono, she is _dead_ wrong.

Steela's mouth opens for an undoubtedly smarmy reply just as a militiaman approaches the table. "Ladies, your father is waiting outside."

"Don't want to keep him waiting." Blondie says, standing. "Thank you for lunch, your Grace."

Steela gives a tight-lipped smile. "Of course. It was my pleasure." She says, and waves as the militiaman escorts the two of them away.

"Do you sometimes wish you could drink wine?" I ask as the ladies walk away.

Steela nods. "Only when Bastian isn't around. When he is, I don't."

"You know what this reminds me of? That time in grade school, where Dono hogged all the juice boxes and wouldn't let you get any.

Steela raises an eyebrow. "But you weren't there - Ivy, what's gotten into you?"

"No, I just remember. And you'll have to do better than that if you want to keep this up." I come behind her and pretend to refill her water, bringing my lips close to her ear.

"I mean, I'm a waitress. And you know where I come from. Right?"

As an answer, Steela spits out her mouthful of grape juice.

 **A/N: And that's one reunion down. Now, the question is simply how those two will react to each other's precense and what they'll be able to get done.  
**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, McAwsome, and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Lux's Sister**


	5. Dead Men, Disguises, One Small Scroll

**CHAPTER FIVE - THE RETURN OF THE WAITRESS  
**

 **STEELA**

"Smooth move, Gerrera!" Ivy/Hero groans and grabs a napkin to mop up the grape juice I've spewed over the table.

Now there's no doubt in my mind. _"Hero?"_

"The one and only."

"B-but how?" I sputter, waving to her. If she hadn't mentioned that incident from our childhood, in which Dono hid an impressive number of juice boxes from me, I would never have believed it. She looks just like Ivy, she sounds just like Ivy, but her mannerisms when she's not serving are Hero's.

Hero leans in close again to wipe nonexistent juice droplets from my face. "Holographic disguise matrix. If you look really, really close you can see it."

I fix my eyes on her, and for a tenth of a second I see her image shimmer before returning to Ivy's.

"Holy Unifar – but where's the real Ivy?"

She waves. "Oh, Hutch took care of her."

It takes all my self-control not to slam my palm against my forehead. "Hero, what did you do with her?"

"I didn't do anything." She says, and then in a lower voice. "She's at Hutch's and my place. I think we need to take a walk."

"No joke." We set off into the garden, on the path that looks the longest and most secluded. "All right, how did you manage to kidnap Ivy?"

Hero lifts her nails to her lips. "We intercepted her on her way to the market, and then Tandin drugged her so she would come quietly. Steela, what did you hear last about Tandin?"

"Bastian killed him, the bastard." I spit. "You should have seen Sierra; she almost burst out sobbing just mentioning it. I wanted to go murder Bastian even more after seeing it."

"If you think a little poison can get between General Tandin and his ward, you are gravely wrong."

I stop in my tracks. "Hero, do you mean to tell me that Tandin is alive?" I force out.

She nods, clearly happy at being the bearer of rare good news. "And kicking. Hutch saved him, but mainly he's here because he's stubborn as a daglo. If I should have seen Sierra, you should have seen Tandin when I told him where she was. I didn't think it was possible for a human being to turn that shade of purple."

Oh, I believe every word of it. While Tandin doesn't generally give voice to his emotions, one can tell what he's feeling just by looking at the color of his face. And his face turns a range of colors where Sierra is concerned.

"H-how?"

"Aerosols disperse if you don't spray them correctly. And if you're Griff, trying to kill a general and then get back to the wedding on time, then you don't spray them correctly."

I see how that could happen. Griff is determined, but not very organized. "You have that right. Is he okay?"

She shrugs. "Yeah, sorta. He'll be a lot better once he knows you and Sierra are safe, and Bastian's off the throne. He hates his guts."

"Can't say I blame him." I wince as what I can only assume is a tiny foot kicks me from inside.

Hero pauses. "Are you okay?'

"Yeah."

"By the way, how is that coming along?" Hero asks, gesturing to the baby. "You must be seven months along, right?"

"Almost eight," I worry. "I wish we had more time. We have to do something before the baby's born, otherwise we've lost. Bastian will have the heir he wants, and there's no way in all the nine Corellian hells I'm letting him near this kid."

"I'm with you there," she crosses her arms. "If worse comes to worse, I'll kidnap him from the nursery. Hutch and I can figure stuff out."

I smile. Yup, that's Hero to the core. She's always been quick to spout off spur-of-the-moment proposals and carry them out no matter what. I've no doubt that her and Hutch "figuring stuff out" would entail holding the baby like a football and frantically consulting the HoloNet for everything while shouting "What do I do?" to the skies.

"Hero, do you even know how to hold a baby?"

"Of course I do," she scoffs. "Anyway, on to other things. Ivy's with Hutch and Tandin, but I doubt she's willing to give them her complete schedule. I don't even know the other handmaidens' names. Does Ivy even work with Sierra?"

"So you need me to fill you in?" I take a deep breath. "I don't know much, so you'll have to ask Sierra for the rest. So far, the only other handmaidens I know besides Ivy are Aria and Octavia. Aria was the one out here before, and Octavia is with Sierra right now. They see all and they're on Bastian's payroll. Get my drift?"

"Yup."

"Good. Now I'm pretty sure that Ivy works with Sierra too, because Octavia obviously can't do everything. Also, I'm pretty sure Sierra wears her out."

"Sierra wears everybody out." Hero nudges me. "If you weren't supposedly hypnotized, I'm pretty sure you two would wear out everyone."

"Hey, you made it this far."

"I did," she says. "And now I'm dating a hacker, impersonating a handmaiden, and am getting myself involved in my second coup. Yeah, I can safely say I didn't see my life turning out this way."

"Hang on to your hat, Hero. You haven't even had to deal with Bastian today."

 **HERO**

Steela may not have known everything about the handmaidens, but she did know where Sierra's room is. Thank goodness the designer kept with Onderon's tradition of keeping it simple with this building – the absolute last thing I need is a maze of hallways to further complicate this mission.

Sierra's door is unassuming, and when I push it open I find a room fit for a lady, but definitely not as big as Steela's and Bastian's, which is so big you could practically play bolo-ball in there. A tall, blonde handmaiden sits in a chair with a stern expression on her face.

And across the room, success. Sierra sits at a desk, her eyes cast on a holobook.

I knock on the doorframe. "Good afternoon, Octavia."

"Ivy," Octavia says, standing up. "Time to switch already?"

 _Oh no, I must be early. Quick Hero, think of something!_ "I was feeling a little lonely, so I thought we could switch early. I have everything done and the Queen dismissed me." I may not be a detective, but I get the feeling Octavia is the big fish in the handmaidens' pool.

She stands. "Did you see what the butcher with the green canopy is charging for shaak steaks? I should pick one up on my way home tonight."

 _Kind of had other things to worry about, like kidnapping Ivy._ "No, sorry."

"Oh well." Octavia stands and walks toward the door. "Goodbye, Lady Bonteri. I'll see you tomorrow."

Sierra turns around in her chair. "Bye Octavia. Hi, Ivy."

I think I lucked out and took on the likeness of Sierra's preferred handmaiden. "Hello. What are you working on?"

"Algebra," Sierra rolls her eyes and goes back to her books. I wander over to her desk and pull up Octavia's chair.

Sierra stares at me. Clearly, this isn't normal. "Uh?"

I point at one of the problems. "Weren't you working on something like this then I helped you cut school almost a year ago?"

She pushes back. "Ivy, are you on drugs?"

I shake my head and drop my voice to a whisper "Now you might not recognize my face, because this hologram thing is the best, but look beyond that. Don't tell me I'm not striking any familiar chords with the way I talk? For example, like one very awesome person who helped you cut school?"

Her eyebrows practically hit her hairline.

"Remember my foolproof program for skipping school, which went south when Tandin came home early to check on you?" I prompt.

"Okay, how much did Bastian pay you for this?" she demands. "Or did he just hypnotize you too?" She grabs her pen and raps it against the nearest metal surface, no doubt trying to emulate the sound of a bell. "Whatever it is, stop doing it."

I grab her arm. "Sierra, if you don't calm down then Bastian will notice something. Sit back down and I'll explain. _Now sit."_ She does, and I turn her to face me. "Alright, look carefully. If you blink, you'll miss it."

I can tell when the disguise shimmers not because I can see it, but because Sierra's eyes grow wide. "Oh my…"

"Shh," I hush her and turn her back to her holobook. "Act like I'm helping you with your work. I'm here to help you and Steela get out of here."

"Did you kidnap the real Ivy?" she whispers. "Where is she?"

…

 _Meanwhile, at the apartment…_

 _"Do you want toast?" Hutch asks Ivy. "We can get you anything you want."_

 _"I want to go home!" Ivy cries, squirming in her seat. "Let me go!"_

 _"Easy, miss. You're just taking a vacation from work; you'll even be paid in full." Tandin reassures._

 _"Why am I supposed to believe you?"_

 _"You know," Hutch muses, "I liked her better before the sedative wore off."_

 _Tandin reads his mind. "It's not safe to give her any more until bedtime."_

 _"I didn't say that," Hutch replies before checking to see how long it is until bedtime._

…

"Uh…Yes," Remembering Ivy's present company reminds me. "Listen to me. I'm going to tell you something, but you need to promise you'll stay quiet for me and keep pretending to do your work. Okay?"

"Okay."

Might as well say it directly. "Tandin is alive."

Sierra drops her stylus.

I tighten my grip on her arm. "Don't freak out. Please, don't freak out."

"What?" she whispers. "No. No, there's no way. He was poisoned -."

"Poisons can fail." I reach into my pocket and place a piece of flimsi on her lap. "He knew that you would have a hard time believing me, so he wrote you a note."

Sierra unfolds the note, written in Tandin's neat hand.

 _Sierra,_

 _I am fine and you have no cause to worry about me. In the event something were to go wrong with my health I'm in Hutch's very capable hands, as you're in Hero's._

 _Please listen to Hero; I'm aware she looks like one of your maidens but she is not. She's still our waitress, even if she doesn't work at the diner anymore._

"You lost your job?" she asks.

"I quit. Bastian would have found me." I explain. "Keep reading."

 _While I would like nothing more than to march into the palace and demand to bring you home with me, we both know it's impossible if we have any hope of overcoming Bastian. I want you to know that I promised your father and brother I would take care of you if something were to happen to them, and I keep my word._

 _But don't think for an instant that you aren't grounded for lying and skipping school._

 _Hero will bring you information as we get it. Until then, stay safe and DO NOT mention this note to anyone except Hero and Steela._

 _-Tandin_

Sierra stares at it.

"Do you want to write a reply?" I suggest, praying I don't flip a switch and send her into tears.

She gathers her composure again. "Yes, thank you." She says, flips the note over and writes on the back of the note:

 _Tandin,_

 _What did you cook for dinner the first night?_

She deftly folds it in half and hands it back to me.

"That's it? That's all you want to say to him?" I ask, incredulous. I was expecting something more along the lines of "Tandin, I'm so happy you're alive!"

"I believe you," Sierra says cautiously. "But if I learned one thing in the palace, it's to be careful and to double-check. That's the only thing that's kept me alive so far, and I'm not going to stop now."

 **A/N: As a general rule where Bastian is concerned, being cautious is a good idea. Think Tandin's going to be amused when he reads that reply?  
**

 **Things will be heating up next chapter, which I can explain in one work: Ahsoka.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, McAwsome, and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	6. Organized, Bold, and They've Got a Jedi

**CHAPTER SIX – ORGANIZED, BOLD, AND THEY'VE GOT A JEDI**

 **SIERRA**

I have to force myself to sit still the rest of the day and night. I'm so nervous, in fact, that Octavia brings it up the next morning.

"Do you need to tell me something?" she asks as I'm opening my holobooks.

I almost jumped out of my skin. "No, Octavia."

"You seem very nervous today, Lady Bonteri."

Of course I'm nervous. After seing the hologram flicker there's no doubt in my mind that "Ivy" is Hero, but one can never be too careful. Since Bastian became King, his reach encompasses the whole of Onderon. His being a hypnotist only makes it worse. The handwriting on the note is Tandin's but anything can be faked. But he has to remember the first dinner with me, right? If Octavia thinks I'm nervous now, she should have seen him then.

So when Hero comes in and hands me a new folded piece of flimsi, I don't waste an instant unfolding it.

 _Sierra,_

 _We ate canned soup because it was the only thing left in the kitchen. Is this enough evidence that I'm the one writing these notes, or should I add the part where you dropped a bowl and nearly broke it because you were so nervous?_

 _I'll be in contact as soon as I'm able._

 _-Tandin_

That's the right answer: The first night I was with him, Tandin frantically opened and shut his cabinets trying to find something until he stumbled on a can of soup. As he warmed it up, he announced that he'd actually have to stock the kitchen instead of eating at the mess hall all the time.

"Is that what you were looking for?" Hero whispers.

I nod. I can't form any words because of the lump forming in my throat.

It's the right answer. The sentence structure and word choice are right; I can practically hear Tandin's voice reading them. And the touch of impatience is right too, he doesn't like it when I play such games. That only leads me to one conclusion: he wrote it.

Tandin's alive.

I hold the note to my stomach as a strained sound squeezes from my throat.

"Oh, no. Don't cry!" Hero whispers, looking around for a box of tissues. "Please don't cry."

But it's too late. My guardian is alive, and the realization feels like a stone's been lifted off my chest. "I'm sorry," I squeak before tears start running down my cheeks.

Hero hands me a tissue and wraps her arm around my shoulders. "Whatever you do, do it fast."

Suddenly, the door opens and Octavia pops her head in. She takes one look at me weeping at my desk and demands "What's the matter in here?"

Hero pulls away from me. "It's the fourth week of a standard month. Can she have some privacy?"

Octavia nods tersely and shuts the door.

"W-well that worked." I sniff.

"I'm a professional," Hero quips and reaches into the top of her shirt to pull out a slim piece of metal.

"Burner comms," she explains. "Hutch and Tandin paid cash for these and bought them with different names, so Bastian can't find them. They're pre-programmed with our numbers and for emergencies only. Keep yours on you at all times."

I wipe my nose with the tissue. "How?"

"Steela shoved it down her shirt, but since you're not pregnant I think the best you can do is an inconspicuous pocket."

I pick one and slip the comlink in. "I'm assuming that since we have comms, you have a plan?"

"You're right, and it can be condensed easily enough. Part one, get Saw out of his mental hospital. Part two, poke holes in Bastian's court. Which will lead us to part three, which has yet to be fully planned but involves deposing him."

I like part three. "So, what's the expanded version?"

"You and Steela are going to be responsible for part two, tearing apart the court," she explains, taking my hair in her hands and braiding it for the sake of any eyes watching us. "We already have Ivy out -."

"And so is Ean," I interrupt. "It's hard to explain but he'll do anything we ask him to and won't talk to Bastian."

Hero stops braiding my hair. "Sum it up in one word."

I swallow hard. "Hypnosis."

Hero's fingers start moving again as she mutters something. Something about "never going to understand Bonteris."

"That's a start, but we need to get closer, to more important people." She whispers, now intending for me to hear. "Do you think you can get close to Griff? I mean, you are betrothed to his brother."

"Griff doesn't care about Ean."

"I had to serve those two at the Good Eats, and I'm fully aware of it. I'm asking because that would make you his sister-in-law. Maybe you could use that."

"Maybe," I bite my lip. "I'll do what I can. It might not be much, but between me and Steela it should be enough."

Hero meets my eyes in the mirror.

"If we all plan our moves right, then we'll call a checkmate within the next two months." She bites her lip. "I don't like the time limit any more than the rest of us, but we have to work with it."

She's right, we don't have a choice. Forget about what Bastian would gain from having an heir, I don't think Steela would be able to act the submissive puppet if a child were suddenly thrown into the fray. Heck, when she woke up from hypnosis her first question was about me and Ean!

No, we have to finish this before the child is born.

I don't even want to think of what Steela will do otherwise.

 **HUTCH**

"Look, we're not going to kill you, we're not going to sell you to the Hutts, and we're not going to keep you here forever. You even get paid to be here! Now will you _just eat something?"_

Ivy glares defiantly at me, not even looking at the steaming bowl set in front of her.

"Am I really that bad a cook?"

"Yes," she quips. "You're a terrible cook, a kidnapper, and a traitor. It would be very wise to let me go!"

Ouch. Her parents should have named her Icy.

Tandin clears his throat. "If you don't eat then we'll have to force feed you. Hutch and I don't want you to get sick."

Ivy wheels on him as best she can with her legs strapped to the chair. We learned the hard way that it's best to keep her restrained at all times. "I would be healthier in the sunlight and fresh air, and doing my job!"

"If you're not going to eat, you need to at least drink your water." Tandin compromises.

But she's having none of it. "No."

I throw up my hands. "Fine, starve the! See if I care." That's a lie if I ever heard one. Give me two minutes and I'll be at it again.

Our lock clicks and Hero walks through the door, the hologram fizzling away. "Hi, guys."

"Hi, Hero." I say exhaustedly. Boy, am I glad to see her face.

"Not hungry, Ivy?" she asks, but blows the question off. "Never mind, I know the answer. Have you two gotten anything done today?"

"We've been babysitting all day." I growl.

"You can contact Ahsoka without moving from the couch," she points out. "We don't have forever, Hutch. Steela just went into the doctor today and she told me that they think she might be farther along than they initially thought."

"How much farther?" Tandin asks.

"We just lost two or three weeks, and she's freaking out. It's a good thing we gave her a task, otherwise she'd go insane from the waiting. But in case you forgot, there's no way we're going to be able to pull this off without Ahsoka." She takes a seat at the table.

"Will she even work with us?"

"It's worth a try." Tandin glances at the chronometer. "It's seven o'clock Coruscanti time. She should be off duty for the night."

In one huge stride, he crosses to Ivy, grabs her under the arms, and hauls her and her chair into the refresher. The lock clicks behind her.

Hero pushes her hair behind her ears, sets her comlink on the table and activates it with the hologram function on.

"Take a seat, guys. I'm gonna need all the backup I can get."

I sit next to her, happy to provide said backup. "Hero, how did you convince her to come last time?"

Hero opens her mouth to reply, but she's cut off by the hologram springing to life, Ahsoka Tano's image materializing from the blue pixels.

As soon as she sees us, she cracks a smile. _"Boy, am I glad to see you two. And – General Tandin?"_

"At your service." He stops Ahsoka's questions with "It's a long story, Padawan Tano. I'm very glad to see you safe and sound."

 _"It's all thanks to Senator Amidala and my master. I'm at the Senator's home as we speak."_ Her voice drops to a mumble. _"I should probably move in at this point."_

"Sometimes it feels like it. Look at me, I moved in with these two."

 _"So, I know you're not calling me just because you want to chat,"_ Ahsoka says, smile tugging at her lips. _"What do you need?"_

Well, that saved us any awkward transitions. "We need you to come over to good ol' Onderon just one more time."

 _"Really? What's the occasion?"_ she asks sarcastically.

Tandin speaks up. "Steela's trance has been broken."

Ahsoka's eyes widen.

"We've been in contact with her and Sierra a few times, and we have a plant inside the palace. If there's a time to take back Onderon from Bastian, it's now," He continues. "But we don't have a hope of it without you."

 _"Steela's awake?"_

"Yes, and we're certain Bastian doesn't know. Ahsoka, we need to act quickly," I implore. "We have to get Saw out of the mental institution before he actually goes crazy or Bastian arranges an 'accident' for him. Steela's due to give birth in a month and a half."

 _"A month and a half? Unless you have an army, that's not a lot of time for a revolution,"_ She muses.

"We already have some of the pieces in place. Like I said before, we have a plant and Sierra somehow has Ean involved." Hero bites her nails.

Tandin blinks and turns his attention to her. "How so?"

"She hypnotized him."

Everyone sighs, including Ahsoka. _"Well, that makes plentiful sense."_

"I swear, once I see that child again she'll be getting an earful." Tandin mutters. "Hypnosis? Really?"

"I think she's trying to fight fire with fire." Hero points out.

"We all learned how effective that was during the rebellion." He leans back in his seat. "I have my work cut out for me."

 _"It's a good thing you love her."_ Ahsoka grins. _"And it's a good thing you're all my friends. Tell me how to get to you."_

"Wait, you're leaving now?" Hero asks. "Don't you have to ask the Council for permission?"

 _"I am asking permission, just not directly. It's more like_ retroactive _permission."_

"You're writing a note, aren't you?"

 _"…Yes."_

I clear my throat. "Ahsoka, travel under a false name and contact me later with it and your arrival time. I'll meet you at the spaceport so we can start working."

 _"Will do. If Anakin or Padme somehow manages to get ahold of you, don't tell them I'm coming."_ She says. _"Once they find this note, they're both going to be hopping mad. I'll be at the spaceport in five minutes."_

"Uh, you might want to pack first. We don't have much."

Ahsoka lifts a traveling bag into the view of the projector.

 _"I already have, Hutch. I sensed something brewing over there, and just was waiting for you all to fill me in."_

I turn from her likeness to Hero and Tandin, beaming.

"And that's why it's always good to have a Jedi nearby."

 **A/N: Ahsoka is back and ready to take on a mission! The Jedi Council and especially Anakin won't be pleased with this, but there's not much they can do at this point.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics and McAwsome for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	7. Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts

**CHAPTER SEVEN – BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS**

 **HUTCH**

"Ashla Naberrie's" ship was cleared to land five minutes ago. All I can do is sit on a crate by her landing pad and wait for her fighter to shoot from the skies.

But the fighter doesn't come. In its place is an ancient, dingy spice freighter which looks like it'll fall apart the second it hits solid ground. And yes, when it touches down it gives a cringe-inducing, almighty shudder.

The boarding ramp extends and Ahsoka comes down it, giant rolling bag in hand.

"That's not what I was expecting." I admit, pointing at the ship.

"No," Ahsoka says. "I couldn't take my own because I'm fairly certain my master bugged it. So I took his freighter."

"Glad you got here in one piece." I eyeball the ship. Ahsoka may want to fly commercial for her return trip.

She follows my gaze, then shakes her head. "Oh, you're worried about that? It's nothing, Hutch. If anything, it's an improvement over the first time I saw that bucket of bolts."

If this is an improvement, I don't even want to think about what it like the first time.

"So, where are we going?" she asks.

"We have to change at my place. Hope you and Hero wear the same size clothing."

…

"I thought you lived in a different part of town." Ahsoka said, glancing around at the filthy streets.

"We had to move out after Bastian took the throne, and Hero and I kind of lost our jobs." I explain under my breath. "I don't want to steal any more than I have to, and I can't find any more work."

"I'm sorry."

"We don't need much anyway." I handwave, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. "We should get inside."

Ahsoka didn't come in until the evening, so Hero's back home from the palace. Ivy sits with Tandin at the table, halfheartedly eating a bowl of soup. Looks like she finally got hungry.

Hero perks up. "Ahsoka!"

"Hi, Hero." She says. "General Tandin, it's good to see you alive and well."

"You as well," Tandin gestures to Ivy. "Ahsoka, meet Ivy. Ivy, this is Padawan Ahsoka Tano."

Ahsoka proffs her hand. "It's nice to meet -." Ivy shoots her a venomous look. Ahsoka withdraws her hand.

"Uh, remember how I said we had a plant in the palace?" Hero chirps. "Well, it's me taking her place."

"It shouldn't be for much longer." Tandin says. "Just as long as it takes to remove Bastian from power. Until then, you'll stay with us. You're settling in, right Ivy?"

"No."

I ignore her. "Have a seat; I'll bring you something to eat and then we can get ready for bed. Our destination doesn't open its doors until ten tomorrow."

…

When Hero, Tandin, and I first moved in, we made do with our sleeping situation: Tandin got the bed, Hero got the sofa, and I crashed on the chair. With two more people, the situation practically explodes.

Ahsoka uses the force to knock Ivy out, and Tandin tucks her into bed. Then he crashes on the sofa, leaving Ahsoka with the chair and Hero and I wrapped in separate blankets on the floor.

Hero rolls over on the floor, muttering in her sleep.

An idea forms. Hero and I haven't had a chance to spend a lot of time together, what with her being at the palace all day and scheming taking up our evenings.

As quietly as I can, I slither up to her side and half-sit.

"You love Hutch." I whisper into her ear. "Hutch is the best."

"Hutch is the best," She mumbles back.

"And you want to give him _lots of smoochies."_

"And I want to give him _zero_ smoochies."

"Yes," I say, and then I realize what she actually said. "Wait, what?"

"No smoochies for Hutch. Poor you." Hero rolls over, trying not to laugh. "What was that, some attempt at hypnosis?"

"What? No!" My face heats up. "I just wanted to hear you repeat it."

This time Hero can't bottle her laugh. _"Ha!_ You're so pathetic right now, you're getting one pity kiss."

Ahsoka clears her throat. "Hutch and Hero? If my men could see you right now, they'd tell you to get a room."

My face turns even redder. "Hey, nothing like that is going on down here!"

"I'm sure it's not," Ahsoka says, a smile in her voice. "Just keep it that way, lovebirds."

…

"This is one of the most brazen plans I've ever seen," Ahsoka says as we walk up to a building labelled SHADY OAKS THERAPEUTIC CENTER. "And I've seen a lot."

"You didn't object to it during the meeting," I point out and adjust my shirt cuffs.

"I was probably in shock," she admits. "Well it's too late to back down now. I hope you thought this through, Hutch."

"Of course I did." Sort of. "And since no one said anything, we didn't revise it. Do you have the golden tickets?"

Ahsoka holds them out from behind her back. "Of course I do."

"Great." I tighten my grip on the rolling suitcase and we roll our way through the center's doors, up to the front desk.

The Twi'lek woman at the front desk opens her sliding glass window. "Can I help you?"

"Hi!" Ahsoka says, smiling as widely as she can. "I'm Ashla and this is Hank, and we're here to check your samples for NoPsycho!"

"Drug reps," the woman realizes. "I haven't seen you two before; usually Lin checks our samples."

"No, you haven't." Ahsoka agrees. "Hank and I are new, so we decided to smooth the transition with a gift."

She puts the golden ticket on the table: a dozen glazed doughnuts. The woman's eyes go wide.

"Right this way," she says, grabbing the box and running to open the door. Ahsoka and I walk in and down the hall toward where Front Desk Lady pointed, still lugging our giant suitcase.

"That worked better than expected," I admit.

"Hospital workers have notorious sweet teeth," she says. "I've been around enough of them."

"Apparently," I whistle. "Alright, now how are we going to get to Saw if we don't know where he is?"

"You said you need hardline access because the computers run on an intranet? If this place is anything like the GAR's, then the drug box has a computer terminal."

Satisfaction alights. "Ahsoka, you deserve every awesome nickname they give you."

She steps aside to let me into the drug room. "Careful Hutch, I don't want Hero getting jealous. You find Saw; I'll guard the door."

I haul the gigantic suitcase into the room and take hold of the computer. As suspected, the password is individual to each employee. Perfect. _  
_

I type in 123456.

 _Welcome._

"Hutch, hurry."

"I'm working on it," I grumble as the whole of the hospital's programs open up like a sunflower. Drug inventory, billing, calendar…patient information!

I click on it, enter Saw's name, and scan.

 _Name: Gerrera, Saw._

 _Age: 20 years._

 _Diagnosis: Psychosis and amnesia following head trauma._

 _Emergency Contact: Bastian Lockwood, brother-in-law._

 _Next of kin: Steela Lockwood, sister._

But through the lies and the mumbo-jumbo, I find the golden nugget. "He's in room 203!"

"Shut off the computer and let's go!"

I quickly cancel out of the programs, haul the suitcase out the door, and follow Ahsoka to the turbolift.

"If anyone asks, we're looking for the nurse's station." She whispers. "They won't suspect a thing once they see the candy I brought."

Thank Unifar for sweet teeth. "203 is on the second floor; at least that helps a little."

"For sure. I just hope this plan works."

The turbolift doors open, and Ahsoka and I are off like shots. We find room 203, wrestle the door open.

And there he is.

Saw Gerrera sits upright on the bed.

"Either the docs put meds in my food, or this is the best day of my life," he announces. "Which one?"

"Best day of your life," Ahsoka confirms. "Ready to get out of here, Saw?"

"Hell yeah. But thing is, I'm kind of stuck." Saw says, yanking at the restraints holding him fast to his bed.

 _Snap-hiss!_ A green saber flash later, and the restraints are no longer a problem. Saw stands, stretching his back. "Man, that feels good."

"Look, we'd love to stand around and stretch too, but we have to get out of here." Ahsoka says. "It's only a matter of time before the front desk goes looking for us and we need to get you out for Steela's sake."

"Steela's sake?" Saw jumps on the phrase. "What is it? Is she okay? I swear, I'm gonna kill Bastian!"

"Let me put it this way." I tell him. "How does 'Uncle Saw' sound to you?"

Saw's jaw drops. "I'm an uncle?"

"In a month, you will be! For now, we have to get you in a position to help. Get in the suitcase."

Saw's eyes bug out. "Do _what?"_

I shove the suitcase on the ground and unzip it. "Just get in."

Saw sits, curls into the fetal position, and lays down on his side. Ahsoka zips it shut.

"Hold on, Saw. This ride might get a little bumpy."

…

Apparently, Saw can hear when the turbolift doors shut behind us because he speaks up. "Hutch, unzip me a little. It stinks in here."

"Stop talking. They may not have noticed that we're not real drug reps, but they'll definitely notice a talking suitcase!"

Saw coughs. "What did you guys _put_ in here, feet?"

"Yes and no," Ahsoka shrugs. "This is Padme's shoe suitcase."

My mouth falls open. "She has a whole suitcase just for _shoes?"_

She nods, and Saw would probably comment if the turbolift didn't open again and we're once again on the move, each of us with one hand on the suitcase's handle to haul Saw through the corridors.

"Ever thought of laying off the pasta?" I grumble as we navigate a particularly tight corner.

"Shut up," Saw grumbles, and his suitcase smacks into the corner.

Ahsoka shoots us a look. "Stop it, both of you."

I shut up, sufficiently cowed. Saw's reasons probably have more to do with his just being slammed into the wall.

We pass the front desk, and Front Desk Lady is all over us. "Thank you for the doughnuts! Are all the samples in order?"

"Oh yeah, everything's fine." I puff, praying she doesn't notice my huffing and puffing. "Um, is anything pops up call Lin at his old number; we were just filling in for him today. Have a nice day."

Front Desk Lady raises her eyebrows, and I have a feeling I just made a mistake.

"Him? But Lin's a wo-."

"Oh, my silly coworker!" Ahsoka covers. "He didn't have his caf this morning. Bye, and I hope you have a great day!" she says, grabs me in one hand and Saw in the other, and powers us out the door.

 **A/N: An explanation for all readers who don't work in the medical field: drug reps are representatives from pharmaceutical companies who sell their products to doctors' offices and hospitals. They carry large, rolling suitcases to hold the samples and any paperwork or literature the offices can distribute, and one of their biggest selling tactics is gift-giving. A lot of drug reps bring goodies like pens, candy, bakery items or even takeout lunches, especially around the holidays. . And what's more, all of the reps in my office can carry a conversation with almost everyone: the doctor, the nurse, the secretary, and the aides.**

 **To any drug reps reading this, thank you!**

 **And thank you to starwarshobbitfics, McAwsome, and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	8. Uneasy Lies the Head

**CHAPTER EIGHT - UNEASY LIES THE HEAD  
**

 **SAW**

I don't know how far we traveled from the center before Ahsoka and Hutch unzipped my suitcase and I tumbled onto a dirty kitchen floor.

Although it's miles better than Padme's shoe suitcase, it's not much cleaner. But honestly, I could care less about a little dirt. I'm not tied to the bed or listening to the legitimately crazy people try to warn me that "They" were going to take over the galaxy. Who "they" are seemingly wasn't important when it came to their delusions.

But no, all I can hear now is Hutch's "Welcome home!", General Tandin's greetings, and a grumpy "Oh great, _another_ person."

I get to my feet. "General Tandin, it's nice to see you this side of the grave."

My bad joke fizzles before Tandin's eyes. "It's nice to see you this side of sanity, Saw."

"Huh. Didn't know you could be so sarcastic." I fold my arms.

"Yes, that's our Saw." He laughs. "All wit aside, I'm glad you're safe. It's a load off my shoulders."

"I can take care of myself, General." Even though I get the shivers just thinking about the place I was just an hour ago. "By now, they've definitely noticed I'm gone. They're probably drawing straws to see who has to call Bastian."

Ahsoka winces. "I doubt that'll go well."

"Oh, I know exactly how it'll go." Hutch says, his voice dripping with sass. "They'll go 'Your Highness, we lost Saw.' And then Bastian will go 'OK. Off with your head.'"

A young woman sulking in a nearby chair glowers at him. "That's melodramatic."

"Not if he's anything like his dad," Hutch corrects her. "Saw, I'd like you to meet Ivy, Steela's old handmaiden. Hero's taking her place at the palace."

I nod to the maiden. "Hey."

Hutch makes the _cut it out_ gesture and pulls out a chair at the table. "We don't have much time before Bastian gets the call and starts locking everything down. This is your only chance."

"Only chance for what?"

Tandin puts a comlink in front of me.

"To talk to your sister."

 _Steela._ It's been over eight months since I've seen the real her and not Bastian's twisted version, and it's been just as long since she's spoken to me. "What are you waiting for? Call her!"

"I've got to run a spoofing program so Bastian can't find us." He hooks the comlink to his computer, and it starts to ring. "All right, we're calling right now. It's Hero's comlink, but she'll give it to Steela. Keep it short and sweet, but – hey, Hero picked up."

I press the comlink to my ear, listening to the sound of the comlink being handed to another. If I gripped it any tighter, I would crush it.

And then the most beautiful voice in the universe says _"Hello?"_

A smile grows across my cheeks. "Hey, yourself."

Steela's breath catches. _"Saw?"_

My voice almost breaks. Almost. "Yeah. It's me, sis."

" _Ahsoka and Hutch rolled you out okay, huh?"_

"Yeah, they did. Are you okay?"

" _Safety-wise, yes. Bastian-wise, I could be better."_

"Hang in there; we'll cook up something out here and I'm sure you and Sierra are going to rain hell on him from inside. You'll be fine." I clear my throat. "So, what's this I hear about me being Uncle Saw?"

This time I can hear joy in her voice. _"Congratulations, Saw. I'm eight months. Maybe more."_

"What is it?"

" _Start thinking of boy names, because you have a nephew."_

I have a stake in naming the kid? "How about Saw Junior?"

Steela laughs. _"Ha! Beats what Bastian wants me to call him. Saw, I wish we could talk longer but Hero's making 'hurry up' gestures at me. Are Ahsoka, Hutch, and Tandin with you?"_

"Yeah."

" _Put them on speaker. I found something important."_

I set the comlink on the table and enable the speaker. "The floor is yours, Stee."

" _Thanks, Saw. Look, I tricked Griff into letting me into his room and while he was gone getting me a glass of water I searched it. And after I got past all the pinups and not-so-family-friendly images, I found something."_

"What is it?"

" _Any reason Griff should have multiple pictures of Ahsoka?"_

Ahsoka jumps.

"Pictures of me?"

Steela's voice goes nervous. _"Ahsoka, is that you?"_

"Yes, it is. Steela, how many pictures and what kind?"

" _They aren't X-rated or anything, but there are a lot. At least twenty, and he doesn't have that many for any one individual besides you. Wild guess here, I'm pretty sure you're Griff's favorite. I think I know why he's working for Bastian."_

Tandin casts an uncomfortable gaze to Ahsoka. "Unattainable love interest…Griff is probably expecting the same reward as Ean."

" _A brainwashed bride."_ Steela confirms. _"There are old pinups of Twi'leks under his bed; he's replaced them with Ahsoka and models who look like her. I would have found more, but he came back with my water."_

Ahsoka closes her eyes and exhales, mouthing the numbers one through ten. "Really?"

" _Really. And as much as I love spending time with you, Ahsoka, I would rather not do spend my days with you cooing over Bastian and Griff."_

That scenario is so ridiculous I can't even picture it. "Yeah, don't worry. Ahsoka would run him through with a saber first."

"If Sierra learned to resist hypnosis the same way the Jedi taught resistance from force probing, then I should be safe from it," Ahsoka announces, her hands itching toward her lightsabers.

Without warning, Ivy jumps into the conversation. _"Hypnosis?_ What are you all talking about?"

Tandin looks at her. "We have a lot to discuss, Ivy."

"Uh, Steela?" Hutch clears his throat. "Speaking of Sierra. If you're not with her, and Hero's not with her…then where is she?"

Dead silence on the other line, except for some rushed chatter between Hero and Steela.

Something about "Octavia". Something about "Force knows where".

" _Sith spit,"_ Steela swears, and hangs up.

 **SIERRA**

Hero told me to poke holes in Bastian's court, and that's what I'm going to do. There's only one way to start with a mission like this: by digging up dirt.

If Bastian is anything like my mother's old underhanded political rivals, which he is, then he has compromising information on all his underlings. And if he's as smart as them, which I also know he is, then he's storing the proof in somebody else's office in case it's discovered.

"Where are we going?" Ean asks innocently.

"Is Griff in his office?"

He looks at the chronometer. "No, he should be having lunch."

"Great. Then we're going there." I link his arm with mine and turn him toward Griff's office. I'll need a new excuse for leaving with Ean soon; if the look on Octavia's face was any indication the "going for a walk with my betrothed" excuse is getting a little old. And the last thing I need is Octavia getting suspicious and reporting to Bastian.

"I'm not completely sure where it is, Ean. Can you lead me?" If someone checks the cameras, it would be a nice touch.

"Of course," He takes a few steps ahead. "His office is right here; when I'm Lord Ean, mine will be right across the hall."

 _And how are you going to become Lord Ean, by marrying me? In your dreams._ "Right. I'm going to go in to Griff's. Thanks for bringing me here."

"Any time!" He releases my arm and holds the office door open for me. I can't shut the door fast enough.

All right, if I was a data chip filled with sensitive information, where would I hide?

I start with Griff's drawers and check the labels on his datapads and chips. Nothing. Then I go for the old-fashioned file cabinet. _Guard profiles, security procedures, standard operating procedure, and – Department of Youth and Family Services?_

The file is shoved to the back of the cabinet, out of alphabetical order. And I can only think of one person who has a social work file.

I yank the file out of the back of the cabinet and splay the contents on the desk.

 _Name: Bonteri, Sierra Ann. Age: 13 years. Living relatives: None._

My pulse speeds up. This may not be dirt, but it's Bastian's leverage against me. This file should have my birth certificate, placement petitions, maybe even the engagement contract.

 _Birth certificate, check. Random paperwork, random paperwork, something with Tandin's signature on it, Lux's will…_ I hit pay dirt. The next piece of paper has CONTRACT FOR MATRIMONY written across the top in calligraphy, followed by my name and Ean's.

I'm not sure exactly what to do with this, but Steela or Hero might know. I separate the important documents from the rest, and put the file back in the cabinet.

I've just shut the drawer when the sound for a correct access code rings through the room.

Griff's back already? I quickly gather the pertinent records, roll them up and stuff them down the back of my shirt into my waistband, my mind racing a mile a minute. The door opens.

And it's not Griff.

It's Bastian.

Oh, this is not good. Griff I can handle, but Bastian? He's no idiot. "Hello, sire." I stutter and swallow my panic.

Bastian glares at me. "What are you doing in Griff's office?"

An idea pops into my head. "I was just running in to grab something for Ean. He's waiting for me outside." I grab a random file off Griff's desk and start for the door.

Bastian blocks it. "Interesting, because Ean isn't outside."

Oh Sith spit. I forgot to tell Ean to stay put! "Really? Um, he must have gone to the fresher."

"Or he wasn't there at all." Bastian steps forward. "What do you have there?"

"This? Oh, it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing." He advances, and I resist the urge to scramble away. "What are you doing in here?"

I give voice to the first thing that pops into my head. "None of your concern!"

One half second later and I know I've just made a huge mistake.

Bastian's hand shoots out and grabs the front of my shirt, pulling me close. "None of my concern?" He echoes, face twisted in a terrifying grimace. "Everything is my concern, Sierra, because I am your _King._ It would be good for you to remember that." He yanks on my shirt. "Come."

Oh Unifar, that can't be good! "N-no!" I grab the desk. "No, please! Your Highness, I'm sorry! I swear I won't do it again."

" _Come,"_ Bastian repeats, pulling harder. I dig my hands into the desk. If Bastian gets me to the dungeon, it's game over. They'll find the papers in my shirt and I don't even want to _think_ about what'll happen to me when that happens. Bad enough I talked back to Bastian.

"Oh, _there_ you are!"

Bastian freezes.

Steela stands in the doorway, looking incredibly relieved. "Bastian, I'm so glad you found Lady Bonteri. I thought she got lost running that errand for me."

"Errand?" Bastian repeats.

Steela hustles as quickly as she can over to my side. "Yes, I asked her to grab this file for me. This baby has me so tired, and she said she could use some fresh air."

"Yes," I squeak and grab the file off the desk. "Here it is, your Grace."

"Thank you," Steela takes it and then my elbow. "Bastian, release her please. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm, and I need to see if she fits into some of my old clothes."

Bastian glares, then promptly releases my shirt and backhands me across the face.

"Watch your mouth next time," he threatens, and I've no doubt that he means every word. "Steela, I fully expect to see you tonight."

Steela flashes him the guileless grin of the hypnotized. "Of course, Bastian. Good day."

Bastian walks out the door, and only two seconds later I've latched onto Steela, my savior, gasping back the panic at what almost was.

 **A/N: The plan couldn't go so well forever, that's for sure. But at least Saw is back in action and Ahsoka is here to stay.  
**

 **Thank you to Johnt12345, starwarshobbitfics, and McAwsome for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	9. He's Got the Whole World In His Hands

**CHAPTER NINE - HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS  
**

 **STEELA**

"It's okay, Sierra. You're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you on my watch."

Sierra's all but glued herself to me, quite a feat considering I'm big as a planet around the middle. If the scans didn't say otherwise, I'd swear I was carrying twins.

"I'm sorry! I panicked!" she squeaks.

"Sierra, sassing Bastian is a terrible idea. He'll have you dragged to the dungeon and tortured!"

"I know that. Why else do you think I sleep with a knife?" Sierra cries. "I'm sorry; I was so scared he was going to find the -."

"Let's agree on no more hypnosis without my permission, no more unauthorized spying, and no backtalking to kings," I order, voice once again authoritative. She nods and I release her. "Pull yourself together. Ivy's waiting in the hallway for us."

Sierra takes a few deep breaths and brushes her palms on her legs. "I'm okay now. Thank you."

I push the door open to meet up with Hero in the hallway. The look on her face lets me know that she's aware of the situation's seriousness.

"Let's take Lady Bonteri to my room, Ivy."

…

"Are you freaking kidding me?"

Sierra shrinks in her seat. "Kidding you about what?"

Hero waves her arms in the air. "You sass-talked a King! What were you trying to do, find out what the inside of a torture chamber looks like?

"I don't know what I was thinking." Sierra bleats.

Hero turns to me. "And you! Clothes? _Really?_ That was your excuse?"

My face heats up. "What do you mean 'that was your excuse'? I had to come up with something."

Hero makes a sweeping gesture at Sierra, and I see it. Sierra is at least a foot shorter than me and flat as a board to my tall, womanly build.

"There's no way in the galaxy she fits into your clothes!"

"All right, all right!" I silence both of them. "Okay, the last ten minutes may not have been Sierra's best judgement calls, and my excuse might have been a little stupid, but right now we need to focus on damage control. Sierra, this couldn't have happened at a worse time. Saw's just escaped from the hospital and if Bastian hadn't heard before he came in, then he definitely knows by now."

Sierra's eyes widen. "How?"

"Not sure exactly; only know that they did. I spoke with him on the comlink."

She hesitates for a second, and then sticks her neck out. "Was Tandin there?"

"Yes," I can't help but smile at the way her face lights up. "Yes, he was."

"Really? Can we call him back?"

The happy feeling crashes into the pit of my stomach. "After what happened with Bastian, it's too dangerous. He'll be on high alert from Saw's escape and your little stunt has made him doubly suspicious. We can't risk a call. Heck, we can't risk _anything."_

"What do you mean?" Hero asks.

"I mean that we need to lie low for a couple of weeks to let this die down and lull him into a false sense of security."

"Steela, you're almost eight months along." Sierra protests.

 _Right. It's a little hard to forget I'm eight months along when I can't see my feet and I can't drink caf._ "I know, but it's a risk we have to take. We try anything right now, and he'll have us locked down so tight we can't hope to get out of here."

Hero takes a deep breath. "As much as I hate to say it, you're probably right."

"So what are we going to do? Nothing?" Sierra asks.

"No. I'm going to be doing damage control with Bastian. You're going to do it with Octavia, meaning you're going to be a model citizen until Hero and I give you the go-ahead. Hero, get any information you can out of the other handmaidens."

"Do you need any backup?" Hero crosses her arms.

"I should be good. I'll just need one thing from you to keep this under wraps."

"Within reason, I can get ahold of it for you. There are just a few thing we have to take care of first."

"And that is -?" What else could we possibly have to take care of before cleaning up the fine mess we've made for ourselves?

Hero crosses her arms. "What were you hiding from Bastian, Sierra?"

Sierra's gaze drops to the floor and she reaches behind her back, pulling a sheaf of flimsi from the back of her shirt.

"My social work records." She holds the papers out to me. "I don't know what to do with it, but I know it's important."

My heart breaks. "Sierra…"

She's right; those papers are important and having them will give us a leg up on Bastian, but I know that's not the reason she took them.

But Hero saves us both from an awkward conversation. "Steela, go through the records. Sierra, you're with me."

"Why?"

In answer, Hero opens my wardrobe and starts to go through my clothes.

"If Bastian thinks Steela's giving you clothes, then you need to leave here with some clothes."

…

"Steela?"

Bastian comes up to me, holding my wedding ring in his hands. "Steela, why aren't you wearing this?"

I push my hair back. "I wish I could, but my hands are swollen."

He looks at my hands. "Let me try. It might have just been one bad day."

"Of course." I hold out my hand for him to take.

Bastian tries to slide the ring onto my finger, but the little gold band barely gets past the nail.

"Why won't this fit?" he grunts.

"It must be the baby." Or good old sodium chloride.

 _Before Hero left for the night, I took the package she brought for me and filled the sink with hot water._

" _You wanted me to get you salt for this?" she asked, incredulous._

" _I'm going to need a solid reason for not wearing my wedding ring, and I'm not swelling enough." I explained, dumped the salt into the sink, stirred the water and submerged my hands._

Bastian sets the ring on the nightstand and walks back over to the wardrobe. He fiddles around with my jewelry box for a while, then returns holding a gold chain.

He threads the ring onto the chain, then fastens it around my neck. "There, problem solved."

Somehow, having the ring on a chain is even worse; like the restricting collar it really is. But I force a smile. "Thank you. Not being able to wear it was really bothering me."

"Me too." He leads me over to the bed. "We should get some rest. It was an eventful day, and you need your sleep."

I'm inclined to agree with him there. My eyelids seem to be permanently sagging, even when I've just woken up from an accidental nap. And after today's events, I would be exhausted even if I wasn't pregnant.

The baby has other ideas. Once I lay down, he kicks one of my organs.

"Ow!"

Bastian sits up. "Are you alright?"

"He's kicking," I wince and press my hand to my belly when another kick comes. "Ouch!"

"Come here." He stands and offers his hand for me to get up, a necessity since I recently discovered it's nigh-impossible to get out of bed by myself. "Aria said that walking the floor helps them to settle down."

"Hope it works." I take his hand and pull myself to my feet.

Bastian snakes his arm around my back and I suppress a shiver. If I wasn't doing damage control, then I would take a few steps to walk ahead of him but I can't risk anything else. Instead I slow down and let him guide me around the room. The more control he thinks he has, the better.

"Is he settling?" he asks after we've taken a few steps.

"Finally," I've no sooner spoken than the baby kicks a different organ; possibly a kidney. "Ah! Spoke too soon."

"He's a lively one," Bastian points out, pulling me closer. "He already reminds me of myself as a child. There were days I gave my mother fits."

"He gets it on both sides then. When I was growing up, I was a demon child."

"Seeing the woman you've become, I barely believe it. Thoughtful, pensive, gentle, loving." He squeezes me "You're the perfect wife."

I swallow what I want to say. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for confusing you with Lady Bonteri earlier; she was just doing what I asked."

"Don't worry about her," Bastian murmurs and presses a kiss on my cheek. "Tell me when our little one's calmed down so we can get some sleep."

"It's just that you seemed so upset, and -."

"Steela, drop it." Bastian orders. "I've already taken care of her, and she's none of your concern. Now, how are you doing?"

My stomach drops. He's "already taken care of her"? That can't be good.

With Bastian literally holding me, there's nothing I can do. Nothing but hope and pray that whatever he's done isn't as horrible as what my mind can create.

 **SIERRA**

"Do you need anything else, Lady Bonteri?" Octavia asks, opening my bedroom door.

"No thank you, Octavia." I step in. "I can handle myself from here. Have a nice night."

"You as well, my lady." She hands me the bundle of folded clothes, shuts the door, and leaves me be."

I walk in and unfold the garment in my arms. Hero, Steela, and I picked through Steela's wardrobe until we found something I could reasonably fit: a simple tan-colored shirt. It's still so huge that Hero suggested I sleep in it. I probably will; it's soft and comfortable enough.

I take my eyes from the shirt and freeze.

A white dress lies across my bed.

I dig my fingers into the shirt. I didn't buy this. Steela or Ean didn't say anything about it, and no one else in the palace would buy me a dress. How the heck did this get here?

I approach like it'll blow up, unable to take my eyes off it. It's pure white silk, a slim cut with an embellished bodice. On top of it is a note.

 _It's come to my attention that you need clothes._

 _Please keep in mind that on Onderon, it is legal to be married at age fourteen with a guardian's consent._

 _Your birthday is in a few months. It is entirely up to you whether you'll need this dress or not._

The note is unsigned, but only one person could have or would have written this. My hands shake – I hadn't even thought of this! Bastian said he wouldn't hold the wedding until I was eighteen; I completely forgot about early marriages with guardian's consent.

All the air rushes out of my chest and I desperately suck some back in, making a strangled gasping sound that starts coming faster, and faster…

Octavia opens my bedroom door. "If you keep hyperventilating you'll faint! Sit down, sit…"

I force myself to take a deep breath and hold it before exhaling. Steela was right to declare damage control, and it doesn't start tomorrow. It starts right now, at this very second.

"I need an audience with the King immediately," I say, squeezing my hands into fists. "Tell him it's an emergency."

…

"Sire, Lady Bonteri has asked to see you. She says it's an emergency." Octavia says into the intercom.

Bastian's voice crackles through the other end. _"Send her in."_

The militiamen guarding the doors part and I step through, waiting for the doors to shut and leave only the two of us before lowering myself into the deepest bow I can manage. "Your Highness."

"This is new," Bastian comments, leaning forward. "You're finally using my title. I take it you've found your dress?"

I nod. "Yes, sire, I have. And I understand the laws regarding my marriage."

Bastian leans back on his throne. "I knew you were a sharp little thing," he says. "You wouldn't request an audience to thank me for bringing the wedding dress I know you don't want."

"You're right. I don't know when Ean and I will be married, whether it's a few months or four years from now, but I've come to ask you a favor for that day."

"And why would I do you a favor?"

"It's not a large one," I look down at my feet and wring my hands. "The night before my wedding, I'm begging you to please take your pendant and…"

I leave the rest of the request hanging in the air. Bastian leans forward. _Come on you snake, take the bait. I know this is exactly what you wanted in the first place._

"You want me to wipe your mind on your wedding day?"

"Yes. I'll marry him, I swear, I just can't-." I dredge up a shuddering sniffle. "I can't do it myself, believe me I've tried, and I can't be awake for the wedding. I'm afraid I'll get sick."

Bastian regards me with a pompous, triumphant, and – by the Temple of Unifar, _amused_ – expression on his face.

"We wouldn't want that to happen. Of course, Sierra," he says. "I'll take care of it right before I walk you down the aisle that day."

I don't know whether the triumph that he swallowed the act or the nausea at the thought of him walking me down the aisle is stronger.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Now off with you," he waves his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I have a pregnant wife to care for tonight. I'm sure you'll understand in a few years when Ean does the same for you."

 **A/N: Yes, it's time to do damage control. The events of last chapter went over like a lead balloon. But until then, we can all hope that Sierra won't need that white dress anytime soon.**

 **Thank you to Rose Ravenclaw, McAwsome, and starwarshobbitfics for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	10. The Rains of House Rash

**CHAPTER TEN - THE RAINS OF HOUSE RASH  
**

 **One Month Later**

 **AHSOKA**

My holoprojector rings at the worst, ungodliest hour possible.

Fuzzy from sleepiness, I mindlessly activate it. "Erm, hello?"

 _"Ahsoka, where in the galaxy are you?"_

Uh-oh…

I sit up on Hutch and Hero's couch, mind instantly clear. "Hey, Master…"

The projector beams Anakin's blue, translucent likeness into the darkened room, instantly lighting it up. Anakin's in an impatient stance, looks furious, and – to my horror – he isn't alone.

"Hi, Padme."

Padme doesn't look any happier. _"Ahsoka, where did you go?"_

 _Oh man, should I come clean or lie? Let's start with a half-truth._ "I'm just visiting some friends."

 _"That's nice. Which friends?"_ Padme demands.

 _"I would understand visiting friends for a week, but it's been almost a month! Rex has sent intelligence agents out to look for you, the Council is in uproar -."_

"You haven't always done what the Council says either," I protest.

Wrong move. Anakin inflates like a puffer pig and seethes. _"I also didn't run away for a month!"_

 _"Ahsoka, we're worried about you,"_ Padme interrupts. _"You don't have the credits for a trip this long. How do you plan to pay for your food and shelter?"_

"I'm managing." Credits and space may be tight for Hutch, Hero, Saw, Tandin, Ivy, and me, but we manage. The paychecks from the palace certainly don't hurt. "I swear I'm fine, Padme. Really, I am. I'll be back," I pause. "Soon."

 _"Soon isn't good enough, Ahsoka!"_ Anakin snaps. _"I am ordering you to come back immediately and -."_

Saw reaches from his spot on the floor beneath my couch, grabs the holoprojector, and shuts it off. With one fluid motion, he hurls it at the wall. The device shatters.

"Thanks, Saw."

"Least I could do." He looks around the apartment. "It's too early to go back to sleep and it looks like we already woke up Hutch and Hero."

"You did." Hutch sits upright. "Hero's awake too; she's just in denial."

"It's too early," Hero groans and buries her face in the pillow.

"Chronometer doesn't matter," I rub my temples. "I'm not going to get to sleep anytime soon. We might as well be productive. Hero, what do you have on Bastian's court?"

Hero rolls over. "Griff obviously wants you. As far as I can gather, Octavia's there because she wants to. Aria, I'm not sure about."

"I did some digging on them so I didn't go stir crazy," Hutch walks over to his computer and boots it up to peruse the files. "Hero's right, Octavia is definitely the boss of the handmaidens. She's the oldest, and she washed out of the Royal Militia."

"So she has combat training?" That's certainly not good.

"Some, but I doubt that was the only reason Bastian hired her in. She's been working at the palace since Sanjay Rash took over. I guess Bastian figured he could trust his father's toadies."

From the look on Hero's face I can surmise that Octavia isn't exactly a shining example of sentiency. "What about the other one?"

"That would be Aria Pradesh, who at twenty is the youngest," he announces. "At first I wasn't sure how she got in – she didn't work for Sanjay, she doesn't have any military or law enforcement experience, nothing. And then I found her lawsuits."

"Lawsuits?"

"Aria has a fourteen-year-old brother, who's a ward of the state. She's made repeat petitions to get custody of him, but she's been turned down every time for a lack of financial stability. Now here's what I'm thinking: Bastian makes a deal with Aria. She works for him, he'll eventually give her custody of her brother."

"So blackmail? That makes sense. Sierra says Aria and Ean were the only people who were nice to her," Hero says. "Griff is where I'm hitting a brick wall. He wants Ahsoka, but what else?"

"His own name," I answer. "Think about it. He bullies Ean every chance he gets; he wouldn't let him become Lord Ean and consume House Bonteri unless he got the same. Hutch, is House Gould noble?"

Hutch snorts. "Not by any stretch, and you don't have a house for Griff to marry into. So what's he after? It's not like there's a spare fortune lying around."

"Yes, there is." I close my eyes, mind whirring. "It's a stretch, but it would suit Griff's needs."

Saw looks at the calendar on the wall, specifically at Steela's due date circled in red. "It's been a month. We need to do more than digging into handmaidens' records."

"Couldn't agree more. Which is why I told Steela we're done with damage control. It's time to go back to the plan."

A satisfied smile grows across my face. "Yes, it is. Hero, brief the ladies. Bastian's going down."

 **SIERRA**

"The plan's back on."

My face lights up. "Steela okayed it?"

"Better. Ahsoka did." Hero takes a seat on the edge of my bed. "How are the Goulds holding out?"

"Griff's sure not in top form," I admit. "I think he's getting antsy because he doesn't have Ahsoka yet. And we had a close call with Ean. I told him to stop talking at dinner last night, and then Bastian asked him a question."

It takes a second for that to sink in. "You muted Ean?"

"It was only for a second. I repeated the question and then everything was fine," I fiddles with my shirt. "After what Bastian did with the dress, I've been laying low just like you asked."

"Well, we're in crunch time now. Steela's about to pop." No kidding there. At nine months along, Steela's so disproportionately enormous it's almost funny. She can barely squeeze into her maternity clothes.

"So what's the plan?" I perk up.

"First thing's first, we finish up the old plan. You're eating dinner with Griff and Ean tonight, right?"

…

"Griff, will you pass the salt?"

Griff practically throws the salt at me, eyes on his plate like it's the most interesting thing in the universe.

"Thank you," I set the shaker by my plate and turn my attention to Ean. "Ean, I forget. How long have we been engaged?"

Ean looks up. "Nine months."

I smile. "You know, I wasn't hypnotized when I agreed to it. He couldn't put me in a trance even for a second."

Griff's fork stops moving.

"My brother taught me the same kind of resistance tricks Jedi use," I say. "They teach it to younglings."

"Younglings?" Griff repeats.

"Yes, he said Ahsoka told him about it when she visited us."

Griff's eye twitches, but Ean speaks first. "Sierra, when are we getting married? Bastian's said he might move it up."

"I'm not sure. He just has to iron out all the assets first," I go out of a limb. "There's House Bonteri, and House Tandin too."

This time Griff actually puts his fork down. "What does House Tandin have anything to do with your marriage?"

 _Looks like Hero and Ahsoka were right about Griff wanting to take House Tandin._ "I was his ward, so I inherited it when he died. It's all in his will."

Griff stands. "How can you hold the control for two houses?"

"Part of it was supposed to go toward my education. He put it in my name," I lie. "I wasn't a part of the family, not really, but what I had was enough to give me the house."

Ean pipes up. "General Tandin was very good about his paperwork, Griff. He always had everything in order."

Griff sits back down at the table, every muscle in his body tight.

"Really?" he asks, gripping his fork so hard his knuckles turn white. "Tell me what else Tandin put in order."

 **THIRD PERSON**

"Griff, can I ask you a question?" Steela asks, a piece of flimsi in her hand. "The baby will be born soon enough, and Bastian wants me to ask if you'll be his godfather."

Griff puffs up with pride. "I would be honored, Your Grace."

"Oh, thank you," Steela gushes. "That's a load off my chest. I had a planner running around doing all this for me, but he didn't pan out. Too concerned with medical aids during childbirth, but I don't want the heir to come out woozy from drugs! So Bastian fired him. If he's one thing, he's efficient with his staff."

The twitch of Griff's lips isn't lost on her. "Efficient?"

"Oh yes. I can't even tell you how many cooks we've gone through. One mistake, and poof! They're out the door." She puts the flimsi back in her pocket. "Thank you for agreeing to be the godfather, Griff. It means so much to Bastian and I."

It takes all Steela's willpower not to smirk as she walks away.

…

Bastian Rash paces around his office, debating.

It's risky, without a doubt, but not doing it is even riskier. He's thought about other solutions and nothing has worked: no threat, no punishment is great enough to stop her.

He rings for a handmaiden.

"Ivy, I need your assistance."

 _"Of course, Your Highness."_

Hero keys in the access code and lets herself in. "How can I be of service?"

"Come here, please." He busies himself at the desk while she approaches, fingers finding what he needs in the drawer. When Hero draws close enough, he holds out a hand to stop her.

"Can you hear me?"

"Hear you? Yes, sir." Hero nods, a little confused."

"Listen to this, Ivy dear..." With a single deft motion, he rings the silver bell on his desk. "Listen to the tone as it fades out, and listen as my voice meets it, and continues on. Are you listening?"

Behind the holographic disguise, Hero's eyes glaze over.

Bastian remembers that evening nearly a year ago in his office, where he stroked Steela's hair and spoke into her ear as she slept on his office desk.

 _You love me,_ he told her. _You love me more than anyone or anything in this galaxy. You would do anything I asked, and if I asked you to marry me you would do it right now._

"Good," Bastian purrs, swirling his finger over the top of the bell before reaching into his desk and removing a vial. "Ivy, this is the second time Sierra Bonteri has created trouble for me. And with my queen so close to her time, I can't take any risks."

He hands her the vial. "You will mix this into a drink and serve it to Lady Bonteri tonight. You will tell her that Steela has sent it and you will not leave until she drinks it and has fallen asleep. Do you understand?

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Then you will wake up and go home. You will not remember this conversation."

"Yes, my lord," Hero drones.

"Go on your way." Bastian gets up from his desk, satisfied at last. Sierra Bonteri may somehow be immune to hypnosis, but no one is immune to this.

…

Hero returns home late at night, so late in fact that she finds herself wishing that she had a blaster in case she comes into contact with any riffraff on her way to her apartment.

"Babe, it's almost one in the morning!" Hutch cries when she finally walks through the front door. "What were you doing?"

"Stuff," Hero says, because she honestly doesn't know. "What are you all doing up?"

Ahsoka clears her throat.

"Steela's due date is in a week," she says, "And we can't waste any more time. We're breaking her and Sierra out of the palace tomorrow night."

 **SIERRA**

"Sierra, wake up."

I sit up in bed and fumble for the lamp. "Hero? It's late – what are you doing?"

Hero holds out a steaming mug. "Steela sent something to help you sleep. She's worried about you."

"Okay," I accept the mug and take a sip, cautious of the heat. I really don't want to get on a stressed-out, hormonal Steela's bad side. "Thanks, Hero."

Hero presses a finger to the bottom of the cup and tips it up. "You need more."

I take a few more gulps and then pull the mug away and put it on my bedside table. "I'll drink more if I need it during the night."

Hero checks the level of liquid. "All right," she says and flicks off the light.

And doesn't move.

"Good night," I say cautiously and lie back in bed.

"Good night," Hero replies, still not moving.

I bite my lip. "Hero, I don't want to sound like a brat, but I can't sleep if people are standing over me."

"I'm not supposed to leave until you fall asleep."

 _Steela told her to do that? But why – she probably can't sleep with people standing over her either._ "Why'd she say that?" I ask, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.

"I don't know. Sierra, lie back down."

I've no sooner opened my mouth than my feet start tingling, the pins and needles feeling coming on hard and fast. I ignore it. "But she always explains stuff – Hero, is something wrong?"

"No!" she blurts out. "She just wanted me to give you a sleep aid."

The tingling that began in my feet starts traveling to my hands, then up around my mouth. "Something's wrong…"

Hero pushes me back down. "Just go to sleep and it'll fix it."

It's not until she comes close that I realize her real self, reflected in her Ivy disguise: the dull eyes, the stiff motions – she's the mirror image of me when Lux hypnotized me into robbing the cookie jar.

Adrenaline hits my veins with a nearly audible _ping!_ I can only think of one person who would hypnotize Hero, and only one reason why he would have her bring me a cup of tea.

 _Calm down,_ I tell myself. _There's no way you're getting through Hero unless she leaves by herself._

I lie down, close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths, trying to minimize my trembling until I hear Hero walk out of the room and the door shut behind me.

I push myself up in bed, and the world spins. My mouth is completely numb - there's not a doubt in my mind what's in that cup, and it's fast-acting.

I need help. I need Steela.

Using the wall as a crutch, I hobble down the hallway to Steela's room, ignoring the other doors and the cameras. I don't care about being caught on camera, the game is over anyway. If I don't do this, then I'm already dead.

Steela's door looms into sight and I stumble toward the control panel. Almost there…

Someone hooks their arms around my chest.

"I think you're lost, Sierra," Bastian says.

 _No, not him!_

I despetely reach for the door, intending to slam it and wake Steela, but Bastian pulls me back. "Don't wake the Queen; she needs her rest. And as for you," he hoists me into his arms, pressing my face into his shoulder to muffle any sound I could make. "It's a good thing I'm such a kind, caring king."

I try to twist out of his arms, my body growing heavier with each step, but Bastian's too strong.

Aria rounds the corner, blinks, and bows her head. "Your Highness! I wasn't aware you would be out at this -."

"At ease," Bastian rocks me back and forth, as if he's cradling me. "I found her sleepwalking. Kids, you know?"

 _No, no, no! Aria, don't listen to him. Only little kids sleep like this, not ones my age. Please, help me!_

"Amir used to do the same. Would you like me to bring her the rest of the way, sire?"

"No, I thought I would tuck her in. I need the practice." He brushes past her. "Good night."

I crane my neck past his shoulder, trying to signal her. Aria, help me…

"Hush," Bastian grabs my head and places it against his shoulder. "I could have made it worse for you, you know. This isn't a painful way to go."

He nudges my bedroom door open with his hip and lays me supine in bed, smoothing the covers over me. "Comfortable? I wouldn't want it to look any other way."

I cough hard, my chest aching. Bastian stands. "I'm afraid that's not going away. Don't worry, you'll sleep through most of this tonight and tomorrow. It's a terrible disease, meningitis. Too bad Lux didn't have you inoculated. Of course, this isn't actually meningitis."

 _I hate you._

Words might be impossible for me right now, but Bastian can see it in my eyes. He tucks me in tight.

"Rest well, Sierra," he says. "Your brother will be with you when you wake."

The second he leaves I throw myself over the side of the bed with all my might, landing hard on the floor. My arms and legs are so much noodles; I can't raise myself on them.

 _Help…_

Black spots dance across my eyes.

 _Steela, Tandin, Lux, Unifar … anybody. Please help me._

…

When Bastian returns to his room he finds his bride curled around the pillows, grimacing.

"You're still awake? It's late." He settles in under the blankets. "Steela, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Is the baby kicking again?"

"No, it's back spasms. Nothing serious," she grunts before tossing to her other side.

If she doesn't sleep he won't either. "Come here," he offers, holding out his arms. It's no sacrifice; he likes to hold his wife at night.

Steela winces and rolls over, settling into Bastian's arms and laying her head against his chest. Pleasantly surprised at this sudden display of affection, he rubs the base of her spine to soothe the spasms as she braces her body against pain.

 **A/N: Well, I did say this story took some inspiration from** _ **Game of Thrones.**_ **You can't have that without assassination. Those of you who are familiar with the series might recognize the chapter title's reference to "The Rains of Castamere," one of the most infamous episodes in the series. While nothing can really beat the shock value of that episode, it's time for the crew to face their own version of the Red Wedding.  
**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, and McAwsome for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	11. You Win or You Die

**CHAPTER ELEVEN – YOU WIN OR YOU DIE**

 **HERO**

Sierra never sleeps this late.

I check the time. It's nine thirty, and Sierra's usually up at seven at the very latest. Of all the days, she picked this one to sleep in? The day Tandin, Ahsoka, Saw, and Hutch are coming to break her and Steela from the palace?

Alright, that's it. I don't care that she's tired, she needs to get up. What's she going to do anyway, report me to Bastian?

I knock on the door. "Sierra, you need to wake up."

There's a cough from inside and a horrible feeling weights in my stomach. "Sierra?"

This time a small sound comes from inside the room. A sound like a sickly baby's whimper.

I shove the door open. Sierra lies on her belly on the floor, fingers knotted in the rug in a feeble attempt to drag herself to the door.

"Sierra!" I rush to her side and lift her chin. Her skin is blazing – oh no, that can't be good! "Sierra, what's wrong?"

She barely makes a sound in reply. My heart thunders in my chest. I can't fix this by myself. I need help, but I can't leave her alone. _"Aria!"_

Aria barrels into the room. "Ivy, what's – Lady Bonteri!"

"Stay here with her," I order. "I'm going to get the Queen."

…

Steela and I bound down the hallway and into Sierra's room as fast as we can in her condition.

"How bad is it?" She asks Aria, rushing over to the bed.

"Very," Aria worries, blotting a wet cloth over Sierra's forehead. "We need to bring her fever down but this isn't working."

"Stand back," Steela orders and takes Aria's place. "Sierra, it's Steela. Can you hear me? Do you know what's wrong?"

Sierra coughs hard.

"There's no way this is a coincidence," I growl. "She gets sick a week before your due date? I smell a rat."

She looks up at me, utterly panicked. "Hero, this is bad enough that she could die."

"Well then how do we fix it?" I cry. "If she dies, then her hold over Ean goes away, he'll go straight to Bastian, and then we're all cooked!"

Steela grabs Sierra's hand. "If Bastian did this to you, squeeze my hand."

Sierra squeezes.

"Why that -!" I fish in my pocket for my comlink and punch in Hutch's number. "Everybody, change of plans. Get to the palace immediately."

 _"What? We're not supposed to go in until tonight!"_ Saw protests.

"We can't wait this long. Sierra's been poisoned."

I wait a second for it to reach Tandin's ears.

 _"W-what?"_ Hutch sputters.

"Sierra's been poisoned. Hutch, Saw, and Tandin, go to the north service entrance like we planned. I'll have someone meet you there to bring you in. Ahsoka, I'll meet you at the east in ten minutes."

Steela opens her mouth to say something, but Aria cuts her off. "Ivy, what is going on?"

Steela shakes her head. "No time to explain. Hero, how are you going to get someone to pick up the guys? We can't leave Sierra alone."

An idea pops into my mind. "Aria, have you heard of Hutch St. James?"

"The Cashier from Hell?" Aria asks. "Yes. But what does he have to do with this?"

"I know him. If you help us, then he can bring Amir to you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" she repeats, her breath catching in her throat.

Steela jumps on the opportunity. "I swear it, Aria. I know him too. If anyone can find Amir, he can and once he does I'll fast-track the papers for you. All you have to do is pick up the guys at the north entrance, don't ask any questions, and bring them here. Understood?"

Aria coughs a barely-believing "Understood," and rushes out of the room.

I set my gaze on Steela and Sierra again. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

 _"Go,_ Hero!" she orders, exhaling hard. "She doesn't have much time, and we'll only last as long as she does. I can handle this. Get Ahsoka and the guys, and fix this."

 **…..**

As a general rule, people don't run in the Iziz Royal palace. However, when the distance between Sierra's room and the east service entrance is brought into the equation, I decide it's time to break the rules.

I take the stairs two at a time on my way to the ground level, almost doing a face plant a few times. But that doesn't matter; what matters is that I make it in time to meet Ahsoka at the entrance, throw a scarf over her montrals so her identity isn't as glaringly obvious, and start booking it back up the stairs.

"How long ago was she poisoned?" Ahsoka demands.

"We don't know, but it had to be some time last night." I make a hard left and open the stairwell door into the hallway. "She's barely conscious, she has a fever, and she's coughing. Does any of that sound familiar to you?"

She shakes her head. "No, nothing's sticking out. What I wouldn't give to have Barriss with us. She could fix this in a second."

It takes a second for me to remember who this Barriss is: Ahsoka's best friend, a Jedi healer. "Can you comm her or something? None of us know what we're doing."

She laughs nervously. "Oh, trust me. Once Tandin heard Sierra's name and 'poisoned' in the same sentence, he was already out the door. If anyone can get her the help she needs, it's him.

"Still," she admits. "I'd rather have Barriss right now."

"Me too."

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"Griff's office." I steer her down the corridor. "He's taken care of all the hits before; there isn't a doubt in my mind that he's got something to do with this one."

"And if he's involved, he knows how to counteract it," she finishes the sentence. "Which one is his?"

"You're looking at it." I jerk my head to Griff's office door as I reach for the access panel. "So, are you going to do negotiations, or -."

"I think terror and intimidation are the way to go." She growls. "I have a bone to pick with him at any rate."

 _My thoughts exactly._ I punch in Griff's access code and press the button for the door.

Ahsoka and I blow into the office like twin hurricanes, me practically foaming at the mouth while she takes on the persona of the stone-faced, somber, scary-as-all-get-out Jedi.

"What did you give her, sleemo?"

Griff looks up from his work. "Ivy, what in Unifar's name do you think you're doing? And who is this?"

Ahsoka snorts and tears the scarf from her head.

Griff blinks once, then twice.

 _"Ahsoka?_ Am I dreaming?" he sputters.

I unclip the disguise matrix from my belt and shut it off. Ivy's likeness falls from me like a silk cape.

Griff's face falls. "I'm not dreaming."

"No," Ahsoka says through gritted teeth.

"This is the worst day of my life, isn't it?"

"Could be," she confirms. "Unless you tell us what you gave Sierra Bonteri."

 _"What?"_

"Don't play stupid, Gould!" I yell. "Sierra's been poisoned and we all know Bastian only has one person do his hits – you!"

Ahsoka holds out an arm in front of me. "Hero, stop. Griff, what was it? And before you answer, remember that Jedi can sense deception."

"Look, I don't know anything about this." Griff holds up his hands in surrender. "I didn't meet with Bastian, and I sure as heck didn't take a hit on her. You think she would let me within ten feet of her?"

"Animosity hasn't stopped you in the past."

He snorts. "If that girl dies, Ean will never shut up about it. I'm not gonna give myself a headache like that. I'm not going to kill my brother's thirteen-year-old betrothed. He may be a pain, but I'm no kid killer."

Ahsoka pushes in front of me and squares off with Griff, leaning so close he can probably feel her breath on his face.

"Before he died, I was _very_ close with Lux Bonteri," she tells him. "I'm very worried about his sister and the Jedi teach a few methods of interrogation, most of them unpleasant. Now I could resort to those or to my lightsaber, but I'll give you one more chance to give me a straight answer: when you were carrying out hits, did Bastian give you an antidote?"

Griff chokes.

"Griff?" she prompts, digging her fingers into the desk.

"He always had something in case he or Steela got exposed," Griff admits finally. "He never gave me any of them and since I didn't do this, I don't have this one."

Good enough. I whip out my comlink. "Steela, Bastian has the antidote. Where would he hide it?"

 _"Don't worry about it, Hero,"_ Steela puffs. _"I'm already on my way."_

"On your way to do what?"

 _"What do you think? Getting the antidote."_

 **THIRD PERSON**

There are a few uses for a shepherd's crook.

The tall, hooked staffs are best known as walking sticks. A thing for the shepherd to lean on as he guards his flock, sometimes used to snag a wandering sheep by the hind leg and pull them back.

And it's also a tool for a shepherd to push back brambles as he reaches for lost lambs ensnared in thickets. A staff to help him scale the steepest cliffs in search of them.

But once in a blue moon, the staff is more than a tool. I's a weapon, the flock's last defense against the intruding wolf that threatens to devour them all.

As he races to his ward's bedroom with Hutch, Saw, and the handmaiden, General Tandin mulls over this use for the staff. He will do it. He will slay beasts, butchers, and black sheep who turn into wolves if it means he will save the lamb, his ward.

"We found her a few minutes ago and she was unresponsive," Aria worries, pulling the door open for the men to race into the room.

At Sierra's bedside, Steela spins around and the stress falls from her face. "Saw!" she shouts, getting to her feet as best she can.

Saw's throat closes with emotion. He never was the sentimental type, but if there's one thing in this galaxy he loves it's his sister. "You look different, sis."

If Steela doesn't laugh, she's going to cry. "I look like a planet and you look like you actually belong in the loony bin."

The two of them look at each other for a while, until Saw breaks the silence and throws his arms around her.

"I missed you."

This time, tears leak from Steela's eyes. "I missed you too."

"Sierra!" Tandin shouts as he reaches her side. "Sierra, it's Tandin. I'm here."

Sierra coughs and Tandin pats her cheeks in a desperate attempt to wake her, alarmed at the warmth of her skin.

Steela shakes her head. "I've tried that and it doesn't work. Hero and Ahsoka are getting the antidote from Griff. He has to be the one Bastian gave the poison to last night."

"No, he's not." Aria announces.

Everyone turns around and Aria's mouth squeezes into a hard line.

"Aria, how do you know?" Steela asks in an even, measured voice.

"Lord Griff was in his quarters all night watching holomovies," she says. "He had me bring him refreshments at midnight before I went back to my quarters.

A bad taste fills Steela's mouth. If Griff was in his room watching holomovies and Aria brought him something to drink around the time Sierra was poisoned, then he couldn't have had anything to do with it. And then she remembers who arrived in her bedroom after midnight and held her as if she was his favorite stuffed animal which had been damaged the day before.

For a second she shoves the thought to the back of her mind – why would Bastian do his own dirty work? – but the details are too much to ignore. And if anyone has an antidote, it's going to be him.

But how to get it? It's not like Bastian is just going to hand it over if she asks nicely.

…

 _"Sierra, sassing Bastian is a terrible idea. He'll have you dragged to the dungeon and tortured!"_

 _"I know that. Why else do you think I sleep with a knife?"_

…

"Check her bed,"

"What?"

"She has a knife," Steela pulls Sierra's pillows aside, revealing a leather sheath. She snatches it up and unsheathes the blade: a straight razor with a handle embossed with the name _Gould._

Hutch takes a step back. "How does she have that? What are we doing to do with it?"

"You're not going to do anything." Steela slides the razor up her sleeve and starts for the door. "Stay here with Sierra. I'll be back with the antidote in a few minutes."

The men don't realize what she means until she's already long gone.

 **A/N: It might be a very, very good thing that Steela doesn't have her sniper rifle at the moment. A razor could be better or worse, but still: not good.  
**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, TessaFred, McAwsome, and Rose Ravenclaw for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review.**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	12. Not Today

**CHAPTER TWELVE – NOT TODAY**

 _"'What do we say to the god of death?'_

 _'Not today.'"_

 _-Syrio Forel and Arya Stark, "Game of Thrones"_

 **STEELA**

"Bastian?"

Bastian looks up from his datapad. "Steela! What a surprise."

"I know, I just missed you," I say, meekly smoothing my shirt over my belly. "May I have a word with you alone for a minute?"

"Certainly." He sets the datapad down. "What's on your mind?"

"Not much. I'm just anxious about the baby and I wanted to talk to my favorite person."

As expected, Bastian practically eats it up. "Steela, come and sit. You shouldn't be on your feet so close to your time."

"Right. He'll be born any day now." And honestly, I want to sit down. My back spasms haven't gotten any better since last night. If anything, they're worse and I don't have time to take care of them.

"My son," He coos, leaning forward. "Have you given any consideration to his name?"

I nod. "You're right. I think we should go with Sanjay."

Bastian lights up. "Excellent! I'm glad you came around."

"I am too. I'm just so excited, but I'm nervous about the labor and all that." Kriff it, he's still behind his desk. "Can I hug you?"

That takes him aback. "Of course, Steela."

He comes around his desk and opens his arms for me. I wrap mine around his neck, sliding the razor down my sleeve and into my hand.

"All right, that's enough." He releases me. "Maybe Octavia can give you better -."

I snap the blade open and slam him against the desk, holding the razor to his throat.

"Where's the antidote, you slime?"

Bastian sputters, his Adam's apple bobbing dangerously against the blade. _"Steela?"_

"Where is it?"

"W-What are you talking about?" he coughs.

I push the knife closer against his neck. "Don't play games with me, Rash. You poisoned Sierra and I know you have one. Give it to me and _maybe_ I won't gut you like a fish for what you did to me!"

"Steela, listen to me," he orders, gulping in air. "The doctor told us about gestational psychosis. Look me in the eye. Don't you remember?"

 _Don't look him in the eye. He'll hypnotize you again._

"You may have caught me off guard in my office, but you won't get me again." A new thought pops into my head. "Does Ean know you're killing Sierra?"

Bastian reaches a hand out presumably to touch me, but wisely decides against it. "Put the knife down," he instructs. "We need to sit down and have a conversation, and this will all be sorted out."

Translation: We need to sit down so I can get a bell and turn you into my puppet again.

I dig the blade further into his skin.

"Tell me where it is."

"Steela, I don't know what you're talking about."

I growl in the back of my throat. This interrogation is going nowhere, and if there's one thing I don't have on my side it's time. Practically boiling over with rage, I grab his collar and swing him around, the knife still at his throat.

"Walk," I shove him hard with my hip, just as a python of pressure wraps around my core, starting from my back and spanning all the way around my belly. I exhale hard – kriff, this is the worst back spasm yet!

Bastian startles. "Steela, are you having contractions?"

Oh, Sith spit.

"Braxton-Hicks." And they had better as heck _be_ Braxton-Hicks, too. "Now walk!"

 **SAW**

"How is she?" Ahsoka worries, coming to Sierra's side.

Tandin shakes his head. "Her fever is going up. If we don't stop it quickly she'll seize."

"All we can do it wait for Steela," she says, but I catch her hands balling into fists all the same. "If Lux was here right now we'd have to tie him down."

 _"Steela, you're making a mistake."_

 _"Walk! Guards, you'd better not even_ think _about getting in my way. You think that just because I can't see my feet I don't wear a crown? Stand back, and that is an order from your Queen!"_

Hutch and Hero share a look with me. "That's not good."

No kidding there. I've heard Steela's voice longer than anyone in this galaxy, and I've never heard it so deep.

A second later, the door slams open and Bastian staggers in, the tip of Steela's razor blade at his throat. I jump to my feet, race over and wrest him from my sister's arm, placing him in a headlock.

Steela slams the door behind her and locks it. "He won't give me the antidote, but I know he has it!"

"Good work, sis." I say, yanking Bastian hard against me. "I've wanted to get my hands on this sleemo for a long time."

"Saw, control yourself." Ahsoka orders and steps up to Bastian, waving a hand in front of his face. "Bastian, you _will_ give me the antidote."

Nothing. She comes closer. "You _will_ give it to me."

Hero speaks up. "Ahsoka, he's a hypnotist. And hypnotists can resist Jedi mind tricks."

Out of the corner of my eye I see Tandin clutch Sierra in his arms, face white with terror and concern.

I grab Bastian's hair and yank his head in their direction, forcing him to look at the two of them.

"Look!" I bellow. "Look at them, kriff it. You already have a date with death for what you did to Steela, but trust me, it can always get worse. Lux Bonteri died for my sister, and I think your head might be just the right payment!"

Bastian doesn't move.

And then Tandin lowers Sierra to the bed, replaces the cloth on her forehead, and strides over to the two of us, death in his eyes.

I've only seen that look on his face once: when he led the milita onto the execution stage to rescue Dendup from Sanjay Rash's electroguillotine. It's the face of a man who knows ten different ways to kill you, and fully intends on using them if you don't do what he says.

Bastian stops wriggling for a half second. I guess he didn't quiet realize that Tandin was still alive.

"Young man, you may think you're smarter than the rest of us," he growls, grabbing the front of Bastian's tunic. "But you forgot three very, very important things. One, aerosol sprays only work at close range. Two, harming a militaman's child is never a good idea. And three -."

He tears open the front of the tunic, opens the flap, and pulls something out of the inside pocket. A vial.

"Everyone knows to keep the antidote on their person." He gives the vial to Ahsoka. "Give this to her, quickly."

Ahsoka doesn't waste an instant. She reads the label, prepares the needle just the way I imagine Kix or Barriss taught her, and plunges it into Sierra's arm. A minute goes by.

"It's not working," Hero worries. "It's a decoy!"

"If it was a decoy I would have sensed it," Ahsoka implores. "Give it time, Hero. It should kick in soon."

As if cued, Sierra relaxes into the bed, her breaths visibly less labored.

Bastian jerks in my grip. "I am your king! I'll call the guard on the lot of you. Next time you all see the sun, it'll be on the way to the headman's block, and if you're lucky I'll let you get a good look at Steela on the throne with me."

"How about _no?"_ Steela snaps.

I laugh harshly. "Seriously? We can take Griff Gould in our sleep and the militia obviously listens to Steela just as much as you. Heck, we could just walk out of here right now."

"One problem."

Everyone turns their attention to Steela.

"What is it?" Ahsoka asks. Steela doesn't respond. She only takes a deep breath and sits down slowly on Sierra's bed. "Steela, say something. What's the problem?"

"My water just broke."

…

"Really?" Hero demands. "Really? Right now?"

"No, Hero. I just dropped a water balloon. Yes, right now!" Steela snaps. "Saw, get Bastian out of here and shut the door."

I wrestle Bastian to the door, straining against his renewed escape attempts.

"You can't do this! That's my son!" he shouts.

"Yeah," I grunt. "That's unfortunate."

Hutch holds the door open. I throw Bastian out by the back of his shirt, and he shuts it, locks it, and kicks a chair against it.

Tandin scoops Sierra off the bed and lays her in a nearby chair. Steela takes her place, leaning back on the pillows and breathing hard.

"Does anybody know how to deliver a baby?" I panic.

Hero looks to Hutch, who looks to Ahsoka who looks at me.

"I don't!"

"Then look it up on the HoloNet!" Steela yells. "Because it's happening and you're gonna learn _right kriffing now!"_

"Steela, take a deep breath," Ahsoka orders, then switches to a calm, rational voice. "You're going to be fine. This is good, natural. From what Kix and Barriss say, babies just deliver themselves. All we have to do is catch him when he comes out. Now, do you want a pillow for your back?"

Steela visibly relaxes. "Yeah…that sounds good." I place one behind her back and she closes her eyes. "Okay. That's better. I can do this."

Suddenly the entire door shudders with the force of a body. _"You can't keep me out of my own son's birthing chambers! Steela, come to sense. You need to let me take you to the hospital!"_

"I've got a blaster in my hand!" Hero yells. "One false move and there won't be enough left of you for a paternity test!"

Steela inhales sharply and grabs the covers in her fists.

"Blow it out," Ahsoka orders. "Exhale. Just like that – you're doing great."

I brush a few stray curls out of her face. "Are you excited to meet your baby?" I ask, using my comlink to search the HoloNet for _how to deliver a baby._

"I kind of wish I was in the hospital," she admits in a small voice.

Apparently Bastian hears it. _"You should be. Now let me take you there!"_

My sister's face screws up. "Bastian, shut up!"

Maybe it's her tone or the fact she never says things like that, but Bastian shuts up. Steela reaches for my hand.

A line on my comlink screen jumps out at me: _Do not hold a laboring woman's hand. She can squeeze so hard she'll break your fingers._

I yank my hand out of Steela's and place it on my shoulder. "Squeeze here if you have to. Hey, think about this. You're having a baby in the palace, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Sure beats the kitchen floor!"

Steela would have thumped me for reminding her of where she was born, but another contraction hits and she settles for squeezing the heck out of my shoulder.

Tandin leans in to Hutch's ear. "Hutch, Sierra still isn't responding and none of us know how to deliver a child. Call the paramedics."

"Got it," Hutch dials his comlink. "Emergency services? I need an ambulance for two people sent to the Iziz Royal Palace."

I turn my attention back to Steela. "You're doing great, really." I encourage, praying that it hides my terror.

"You're terrified, aren't you?" she asks.

"…Yes."

She howls with laughter. "Great! That makes two of us."

Hutch turns around. "Uh, guys? EMS says there's a standing order for them not to report here. It's in Bastian's name."

Steela flushes. "New orders! They will come here with two stretchers and take Sierra and me to the hospital. They will ignore anything with Bastian's name on it or anything he says, and that is an order from their – AUGH!"

"Queen," Hutch completes the statement into the comm. "And I don't mean to rush you, but we're going to have a baby right now and I don't know how to catch one. So please hurry!"

Steela collapses onto the bed. "Oh force, I don't think I can do this."

Hero comes around to her other side. "Steela? While we wait, how about you tell me everything you want when we get to the hospital? Like, baby stuff."

Wrong question.

Steela takes a breath so sharp I almost think she's having another contraction, and then she starts squeezing my shoulder and talking faster and faster. "What do I want? I want the paramedics to get here. I want Bastian to be far, far away from me. And I want a doctor and monitoring machines–." The pain reaches its peak. "And I want an epidural!"

I have no idea what an "epidural" is, but if she wants it that bad then she can have it. "Just a few more minutes. The paramedics are on their way."

…

 _"Emergency medical services. Open the door!"_

Hero checks through the keyhole, then pushes the chair away from the door and opens it wide. Two paramedics come in, each one pushing a stretcher loaded with drug boxes.

"Oh, thank God." Steela groans. "Get this baby out of me!"

"I just need to check on how that's coming, your Grace." One of the paramedics crouches and checks between her legs. "You're about six centimeters dilated; let's get you to the hospital to deliver. Sir, can you help me get her onto a stretcher?"

Tandin flags down the other paramedic. "Please help my ward! She's been poisoned and she has a high fever; we gave her an antidote ten minutes ago and she still hasn't woken up."

"I see that," the paramedic loosely takes Sierra's wrist in his hand to check her pulse, then slips a thermometer into her mouth. "Pulse is okay and respirations are normal. How old is she?"

"Thirteen, but she's so tiny. We think she was poisoned around midnight last night." A new thought pops into his mind. "Maybe we gave her too much of the antidote."

The paramedic looks at the thermometer "We need to get her fever down immediately. Is the Queen ready to go?"

The paramedic and I have just strapped Steela to her stretcher. "She is. Load the younger one and let's get them out of here."

"Wait!" Steela cries. "Where's Bastian? I don't want him or the Goulds within a parsec of me, the baby, or Sierra!"

The paramedics look at each other.

"We didn't see him when we came in, your Highness." One says, grabbing her stretcher. "But if that's your request, we're obligated to honor it."

 **THIRD PERSON**

Try as he might, Bastian Lockwood can't open his and Steela's bedroom door. He's pushed, he's pulled, he's even thrown his weight against the door, but it won't budge.

 _She can't hide in there forever,_ he thinks. _She'll have to come out eventually, and that's when I'll snare her again. And this time, she'll stay happy and submissive for good._

Now, it's just a question of how he's going to get in until he sees help walking down the hall.

"Griff!" he shouts. "Griff, you need to help me. Steela's in labor and she's locked me out!"

Griff blinks. "Yes…yes. Come with me. I know another way in."

As he leads Bastian downstairs, Griff thinks hard about what he's about to do. No matter how trustworthy one may think Ahsoka Tano and Hero Calvert's testimony is, one thing is clear: there's a new assassin in the palace. Griff's not about to go the way of the cook who forgot pregnant women shouldn't eat soft cheeses or the servant who burned Bastian's shirt with an iron. He didn't kill Saw and he apparently didn't kill Tandin, and one can't simply fire a hitman. There's a special way to terminate their employment.

He didn't think Bastian would be capable of it at first, but he also didn't think he could kill a girl. And from the coughing and labored breathing he heard, Sierra Bonteri deserves the galaxy's highest acting award or she's actually dying.

"Where are we going?" Bastian demands.

"The garage," Griff thinks wildly. "There's a secret tunnel."

The two of them exit the turbolift and walk into the garage, Griff kicking a stone into the path of the doors to keep them from shutting and allowing the turbolift to pick up any witnesses. Once he's sure they won't close, he pulls the holdout blaster from his shirt.

"Where's the passageway?" Bastian asks. "We need to hurry; her water's already broken."

"Go check the opposite wall."

When Bastian sets off Griff turns around, pistol in hand, and levies it at Bastian's back.

He thinks of all the promises, all the things he failed to get. House Tandin, still with its original owner. The adoring touch of a hypnotized Ahsoka, something he would never have. The wealth and glory and power, all hanging just out of reach, his sins forming into a dagger just waiting to stab someone in the back.

If one of the two people in this room doesn't stab the other, it's only a matter of time before they feel the blade themselves.

Bastian examines the wall, still looking for the secret passage.

"What about -?"

Griff pulls the trigger.

 **A/N: And there it is, the moment you've all been waiting for. Unfortunately for Bastian, today was his day.**

 **The ladies, on the other hand…not theirs!**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, and McAwsome for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review.**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	13. All Men Must Serve

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN – ALL MEN MUST SERVE**

 **SIERRA**

Beeping. Faraway sounds. Voices faded away into barely a whisper.

I force my eyes open to a bright, white light. Am I in heaven? If I am, I'm sorely disappointed. I didn't think it would give me a headache.

"Sierra?"

The voice is masculine and clearer than the others, a deep burr in his words. That, not the soreness in my body, answers my question. No. I'm somewhere better than heaven: home.

I moisten my lips with my tongue and turn my head in the direction of the voice. There he is, sitting on the edge of a chair with a holozine in his hands.

"Tandin?"

Tandin crosses the room in a half second. "It's all right, Sierra. You're safe."

"Where are we?"

"We're in Iziz Municipal Hospital. Hutch called the paramedics and they brought you and Steela here a little over twelve hours ago." He sits on the edge of the bed and presses the back of his hand to my forehead, then my cheeks. "Your fever broke. As long as you don't spike another, the doctors say you'll be fine after some rest and fluids."

"Is Steela -?"

"She's fine," he announces. "She's just down the hall so we can keep an eye on both of you. As for Bastian, we haven't heard from him since last night."

"That's good." I shiver. "So, um, how are you?"

He laughs hard. "Me? I'm not the one the doctors were watching for a febrile seizure."

"You were ten months ago." I inspect the IV in my arm. "I thought you were gone for good, and I don't know what I would do if you weren't there."

Tandin's smile fades.

"On that note. Sierra, I need to discuss something with you," he says, taking a deep breath. "Ahsoka's master and Senator Amidala arrived a few hours ago to pick her up and help with any potential complications we may have regarding Bastian. She knew your mother just as I knew your father."

He takes a minute to gather himself before continuing. "Senator Amidala has volunteered to take you in. We have your social work file; if you want to go with her then it's simply a matter of a few signatures. She's a good woman, and she could and would provide for you."

I see something in my peripheral vision, and prop myself up on the one elbow without an IV.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"I'm not trying to send you away," he says quickly. "It's only fair for you to know all your options, it's your life. You can choose who you want to be with."

I gesture to the women's fashion holozine laying crumpled on his chair. "Nobody else wanted to sit with me and pretend to read holozines for twelve hours until I woke up."

Nobody else risked life and limb to go after me. Nobody else agreed to take me in the minute he learned I needed help. Nobody else went from bachelor to parent in all of ten minutes.

Tandin stares at the holozine, at me, and then clears his throat and says "I should have checked the cover before I picked those up. General Skywalker was giving me some strange looks."

 _He wants to keep me._

I toss my arms around his waist, drawing a surprised _oof!_ from him before he tentatively hugs me back.

"Ever the observant one," he says, giving me a gentle squeeze. "I expected nothing less."

"I missed you."

"I missed you too. And just so you know, if you hadn't just been poisoned you would still be grounded for skipping school."

I pull back. "Are you serious? I was grounded in all but name at the palace!"

"Which is the only reason you're not when we go home. Not a word about it either, or I'll give into temptation and ground you anyway," he says, patting my back once more before releasing me. "Get some rest, Sierra. I'll comm Saw to let the others know you're awake."

Suddenly a shout pierces the air. _"Where's my baby? Give my baby back!"_

"Don't worry, Mom," a nurse reassures, her voice full of safety and care. "I have him right here. Just changing his diaper."

My eyes widen. "Is that -?"

"Yes," Tandin confirms, joy shining out of his face. "That's Steela."

…

"Sierra!"

Tandin rolls me into Steela's cramped room, people on every available inch of space. Saw's at the head of Steela's bed, looking very proud. Hutch and Hero lean against the wall along with a tall, handsome man I'm assuming is Anakin Skywalker. Padme and Ahsoka sit in the chairs provided for the visitors.

Steela's tucked into bed, beaming, and holding a bundle in her arms.

"What are you holding?" I ask idiotically.

Steela laughs. "Looks like a baby to me!"

Ahsoka playfully swats at her. "Cut her some slack, Steela."

"What?" Steela shrugs. "I think I've deserved it. How are you feeling, Sierra?"

"Okay. How about you, considering," I gesture to the baby. "Um, considering you just gave birth?"

"Under the circumstances, I'm doing great." She suddenly gets an idea. "Do you want to hold him?"

"Of course!"

Steela places her newborn son in my lap and Tandin snakes his arms under mine, providing a security for the baby lest I go limp and can't hold him. With one hand, I fold the little boy's hat back to reveal his head of curly dark hair.

"He looks just like you."

"His name is Lux Ramsis Gerrera," Steela announces proudly.

 _Lux._

I look down into little Lux's face, a smile on mine.

"Hi, Lux."

Lux opens his big, blue eyes, regarding what must be a fuzzy image of Tandin's and my faces.

Tandin looks over my shoulder. "Steela, he's beautiful."

"Isn't he?" she swallows hard. "I've seen babies before, but him? When that nurse put him on my chest – I can't explain it, but …"

Tandin answers.

"You love him so much, it hurts."

Lux's face scrunches up and he starts to squall, whacking his little hands and feet against the swaddling blanket.

"There he goes again," Steela swings herself over to the edge of the bed and takes Lux from me. "It's okay little guy. Mommy's got you."

The crying stops immediately.

Hutch points at Steela and Lux. "That's some magic right there. I swear, that's magic."

"Babies know their mothers," Padme counters. "My nieces always calmed down when their mother held them."

"He has a hat and a blanket on. Sis, you trying to sweat my nephew out?" Saw asks.

Steela shoots him an indignant look. "He's not hot; he's cozy," she says and snuggles Lux closer to her chest.

Across the room, Anakin Skywalker's comlink beeps.

"Steela," he takes a deep breath. "That was the Royal Milita. They've just located Bastian."

Steela tightens her grip on the baby. "He's not here, right? Where is he?"

"In the morgue," Skywalker says, clipping the comlink to his belt. "Bastian Rash is dead."

Complete silence.

And then Hero speaks.

"Uh, best day ever?"

 _"HERO!"_ Ahsoka, Steela, and I all shout in unison.

"What?"

Padme exhales, her lips counting to ten.

"How did it happen?" Hutch asks.

I share a look with Steela. "Griff?"

"Griff," Skywalker confirms and squares his shoulders. "He was shot in the back, straight through the heart. And considering that Griff Gould has mysteriously liquidated all his accounts and is nowhere to be found, I'd say we know who did it."

"What about Ean?"

"The milita has him under arrest. He's asking about you, Sierra."

Steela casts her eyes down to Lux, still contentedly dozing in her arms.

She takes a deep, deep breath and looks up the picture of a queen.

"Senator Amidala, considering I'm not allowed to leave for two more days, will you address the people in my stead?"

Padme nods. "Of course."

"Tell them that there's been a terrible conspiracy, led by Griffin and Ean Gould, to take over the throne. It was the two of them, working alone, who tricked Bastian and I into institutionalizing Saw, who nearly killed Tandin, and who killed Bastian and King Dendup. Tell them they tried to kill Sierra and I, but we're fine and I will be able to rule alongside Saw now that the conspiracy's been unveiled. And tell them," she smiles. "Tell them that a prince has been born, and he's the most beautiful boy in the galaxy."

A grin spreads across Padme's face. "I would be happy to tell them that, Your Highness," she says and gets to her feet. Before she leaves, she comes up to me and to Tandin.

"Congratulations, both of you."

"Thank you, Senator." Tandin grabs the handles of my wheelchair and starts me down the hall. "Let's go back to your room, my dear. You need your rest."

"I can't sleep," I bite my lip. "I just have to do one more thing."

…

The militiamen escort Ean Gould to Iziz Municipal hospital in binder cuffs and march him up the stairs to my room.

"I'm still uncomfortable with this," Tandin announces, sending his gaze over to me.

"I don't want to do it either, but it's the only way." I weave the chain of Padme's necklace through my fingers. "It's not fair to Ean not to do it. I don't think I can sleep tonight if I don't do it."

No sooner have I finished the sentence then Ean is marched in, face instantly relaxing when he sees me. "You're alive! Griff said you were done for sure."

"Yes, I am," I say frostily and lift the necklace. "Ean, I need you to look at the necklace just one more time. As you watch it, you will forget everything I told you on coronation day…"

…

"You never loved me?" Ean asks, his eyes bright and alert after being freed from the induction.

I shake my head. "No, I didn't. I did what I had to do to survive. Are you alright? I mean, does your head hurt?"

He looks down. "No, it doesn't."

"Ean, I'm sorry," I swallow hard. "It was the only way."

"No, it wasn't," Ean says. "You could have married me. I would have been a good husband. I wouldn't have let Bastian do anything to you."

"No, it -." The words stick in my throat. The betrothal did nothing to stop Bastian from trying to kill me; I doubt that the prison of a loveless marriage would stop him either. And if worse came to worse, I would have let Bastian take his pendant to me on my wedding day before I suffered through this. But how to tell that to Ean is an enigma.

"I'd like to go back to the precinct," Ean says to the militiamen.

As the men take Ean's arms, Tandin finally speaks up.

"Mr. Gould," he says, anger whistling from between his teeth. "You should know that I'm getting a permanent restraining order. Do not attempt to contact my daughter again, or I will send you somewhere you'll never see the light of day."

Ean swallows hard as he's led away. Tandin squeezes my shoulder and bores his eyes into Ean's back, waiting for him to be led away before he speaks.

"Well, young lady, the nurses have come after me with the charts. The sooner they run these tests, the sooner we can go home."

I crane my neck to look up at him. "We have a home?"

Tandin pauses, and then smiles. "My dear, sending you to college may be a bit of a stretch after my not working for a year, two jaunts to the hospital, and what I suspect will be round two in family court, but yes. We have a home."

I can feel tears pricking behind my eyes. "Really?"

"Really," he says, "Now let's get this testing done so we can get there as soon as possible."

 **A/N: And everyone's all right…and Ean's gone...and Anakin isn't hopping mad right now…and we have a new baby!**

 **The next chapter will be the epilogue, which will tie up any loose ends for this story.**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, Rose Ravenclaw, and McAwsome for your reviews. And speaking of which, please review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **LS**


	14. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

"Lux, huh?" Anakin asks. "That's a unique name."

Ahsoka shoots him a look. Anakin very well knows what this name means to her and to Steela. When she first heard, it was all she could do not to burst into tears.

 _Lux._ With the name attributed to the tiny bundle resting in Steela's arms, it was like Lux Bonteri was born again.

But Steela's unruffled. "The Unifras believe our loved ones are still with us after death, watching down from above. We either had some phenomenal luck or someone was watching out for us back at the palace. And I don't believe in luck."

Ahsoka reaches over to gently trace Lux's cheek with her finger.

"Will you send me pictures when I get back home?" she asks through a throat thick with emotion. Never in her life has she so wanted to watch a baby grow into a man, fierce as his mother and gentle as his namesake.

"Of course,"

"You should get some rest," Saw announces. "I mean, you pushed a person through your body and your beloved, dear, sweet husband whom you adore more than anything just died."

Steela rolls her eyes, but concedes and leans back in bed. "You're right. Tired, little guy?"

"Bet he is."

When Steela and Lux nod off, the room clears quickly. Hutch, Hero, and Saw go down to the cafeteria for some lunch, leaving the only the new mom, Lux, Anakin, Padme, and Ahsoka.

"So, Ahsoka," Anakin begins. "About the _Twilight…"_

Ahsoka stands. "It was an emergency!"

"You could have asked," he snaps.

"Would you have said yes?"

"No."

"Then why would I need to ask?"

Padme breaks into the argument. "Because we didn't know where you were for an entire month! You could have been killed! And you took my shoe suitcase with you."

"But Padme -."

"No buts, Ahsoka." Anakin swoops back in. "When we get back to Coruscant, the Council is going to have a very serious discussion with you."

Lux starts to fuss, awakened by the noise. Padme delicately plucks him from his sleeping mother's arms and rocks him back and forth to quiet him.

"Anakin, hold him. Steela needs her rest," Padme deposits Lux into Anakin's arms and tiptoes over to Steela's bedside to adjust her arms so they don't flop.

Anakin stares with a lifted brow at Lux, who just stares back.

Babies may not be the greatest thinkers of the galaxy, but Lux Ramsis Gerrera has a few thoughts as he lays in Anakin's arms.

Big man.

Not Mom.

Deep voice.

Not Mom.

Scary face.

Not Mom.

 _Not Mom!_

 _NOT MOM!_

"WAAAAAA!"

Anakin jumps, only causing Lux to cry louder.

Ahsoka laughs. "Well Master, he likes you!"

Steela's eyes snap open. In a millisecond, she registers that Lux isn't in her arms anymore. "Lux?"

"Here!" Anakin gasps and puts Lux on her chest once again, all to glad to be rid of the red-faced screaming thing he was holding. "Here he is! He's fine!"

Ahsoka says nothing. She just sends a prayer of thanks to Lux Bonteri, probably working through his namesake from above to cut his love a little slack.

 **…..**

After Sierra is done with her blood tests Tandin wheels her back into Steela's room. He'll have her rest when they get home, but right now it's a time for celebration.

Padme stretches. "Hero, can you come with me to the cafeteria, please? I have a sudden craving for some caf."

Suspicion alights. Why does Padme need Hero to go to the cafeteria with her?

The answer comes to the group when Hutch clears his throat and steps forward, wringing his hands.

"I need all of you guys to help me."

…

Saw speaks up.

"Hutch, that's the stupidest plan I've ever heard, and I've had to listen to Lux Bonteri's plans."

"Look, man. I'm about a gazillion credits in debt for that disguise thingy, Handmaiden Ivy wants a chunk of change for her not to press charges, and Reddy Mart didn't pay that well to begin with. I can't afford champagne, I can't afford a nice dinner, I can't even afford pop from the machine!" Hutch fumes. "This is the most impressive thing I can do right now. "

Anakin Skywalker, for his part, looks pretty impressed. Heck, everyone is impressed that Hutch would even _consider_ something so crazy. "If you can't afford drinks, how can you afford a -?"

"It was my grandma's," Hutch explains. "Please, guys. I just need a wheelchair and a push with the Force. That's doable, right?"

Ahsoka rubs her temples. "Yes Hutch, I think it's doable."

…

"Here they come," Steela says, craning her neck to see out her room and down the hall. "They're going to be in for a shock when they come around the corner."

"I had Lux Bonteri for a brother, and this is one of the craziest things I've ever heard." Sierra comments.

"Ditto with Saw. I just hope that it has the intended effect." She turns her attention to baby Lux. "You're having an exciting first day in the galaxy, aren't you?"

Lux yawns.

"Is he coming?" Sierra wheels herself over to the door; the nurses and Tandin will have her head if she gets out of her chair. "I don't hear anything, except -."

 _"HEY BABY!"_

Spoke too soon. Hutch St. James rolls down the hallway using two wheelchairs like a pair of skates, his arms thrown open wide.

"Holy Unifar," Steela marvels.

Hero's jaw drops. "Hutch?"

Hutch tosses his head back, grinning hugely with shining eyes. "Hero, I may be broke, but -."

Hero's eyes are elsewhere: on the ceiling, where a light fixture hangs down. "Hutch, Hutch, look out!"

Hutch's face breaks. "Wait, what?"

But it's too late. The momentum from his force push sends him careening straight into the light, which cracks against his head with an audible _whack._

Hutch grunts and tumbles to the ground, his wheelchair roller skates spiraling off to the ends of the hallway. The nurses at the nurses' station drop everything and zoom over to him.

Hero beats them there and kneels over him. "Babe, what were you trying to do, kill yourself?"

Hutch stares up at her, dazed mostly from the blow to the head but also somewhat from love. He weakly fishes in his pocket and pulls out a thin gold band.

"Will you marry me?"

I can see the exact moment the pieces snap together in Hero's head. "You were trying to – Hutch, _really?_ You didn't have to do that!"

The ring shakes from the trembling of his fingers. "Will you?"

Hero rolls her eyes. "Yes, you goof. I will marry you. Now let the nurses take you to the ER before you pass out."

Hutch's face lights up in the purest, loveliest smile.

"Great," he says, and passes out on the floor.

…

The nurses, like all medical staff bound by privacy laws, come up with a nickname for the patient who landed in the ER after performing a truly impressive stunt to propose to his girlfriend.

In nurse's station gossip, Hutch St. James is re-christened Romeo.

"Did it work?" A young medical assistant named Ruth asks, trying to look past Romeo's privacy curtain.

"It worked," the head nurse confirms. "His girlfriend may not be too impressed, but she's wearing a ring."

Ruth whistles. "That's true love right there."

"If anything, they'll never forget." The nurse gestures to the chart and cup of ice chips on the desk. "Mind running those over to him? He might have visitors besides the fiancée, and we need his consent."

Ruth would like nothing more than to get a closer look at this patient. She scoops up the datapad and walks into Romeo's room to get his signature.

He's woozy, but mentally sound, and happily signs the papers with one hand while holding his new fiancée's in the other.

"We should talk 'bout our wedding," he says gleefully, ignoring the ice chips Ruth gives him.

"Hutch, eat your ice chips before I change my mind," his girlfriend orders, holding out the little Styrofoam cup. "But I have confession to make. You remember how we met?"

Romeo nods, smiling as if she's remembering an especially fond occasion. "You tripped and spilled water on me."

"Yeah," the woman shifts in her seat. "That wasn't an accident. I tripped on purpose."

Romeo's face changes. "Wait, what?"

Ruth quickly grabs the datapad. "Thank you, Mr. – St. James?" she looks up at him. "Hutch St. James?"

She's heard of a Hutch St. James. The press calls him the Cashier from Hell.

"Yeah," the guy says, and gives his girlfriend a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Great," Ruth squeaks and hurries out before the situation can get awkward. The Queen and baby prince upstairs, Lady Sierra Bonteri down the hall, the King in the morgue, and now the Cashier from Hell in the ER? Pretty soon, Iziz Municipal Hospital will be turned into a palace.

 **Five Years Later**

"Mommy?"

Lux Ramsis Gerrera chews his nails as his mother looks up from her work. "Lux, don't bite your nails. What is it?"

Lux takes his hand from his mouth. "Why is Uncle Saw going to the Father's Day picnic with me?"

Steela pushes her chair away from her desk and leans down to her son's level. "Well, Uncle Saw wants to go with you. He loves you."

"The other kids are going with their daddies. Marco is."

Steela takes a deep breath. She knew this conversation was coming, just not so soon. "Well, you're not Marco."

"Why can't I take mine?"

She scoops him up and sets him on her lap, where he likes to snuggle when he has nightmares. "Honey, do you remember how I said there was a lot of ugly before you were born?"

Lux nods; he loves hearing the story of his birth. "And then I came, and all the ugly went away."

"It did," Steela agrees. "Well, your daddy was mixed up in all that ugly, and he went away with it."

Lux blinks. "Why?"

"It's hard to explain, buddy. But it was good that he went away, because I was afraid that you would get hurt."

"I'm a big boy!" He protests, puffing out his chest indignantly.

Steela cracks a smile. "You sure are. My big boy. But you weren't big then; you were just a baby."

She watches as Lux wilts a little in her arms, and she's suddenly filled with apprehension that she's made a terrible mistake.

"Lux, tell me something. What does Marco's daddy do with him?"

"He plays catch," Lux begins. "And he takes him for ice cream, and teaches Marco lots of words the teacher doesn't like, and they do lots of other fun stuff."

"All right, so who plays catch with you?"

"Uncle Saw."

"And what did we do last week with Grandpa and Aunt Sierra?"

"We got ice cream." Lux squirms, clearly getting excited. "And when he's driving, Uncle Saw yells the words that I'm not supposed to say in front of Mommy, ever!"

Steela makes a mental note to read Saw the riot act for swearing in front of her child.

"Lux, that picnic isn't just for daddies; it's for all the men who love you and do all those great things. Do you understand?"

"Mm hmm," Lux presses his face into the green folds of Steela's shirt.

"Can Uncle Saw go with you to the picnic?"

"Yeah," he snuggles against her chest. "Mommy?"

"Yes honey?"

"Are you sad that he went away?"

Lux is too young for the whole story, too young for understand fortune-hunting and hypnosis, backstabbing and assassination and tricks. He's too young to understand – and she doesn't _want_ him to understand, not yet – anything but love.

If she had asked her sixteen-year-old self, the plucky rebel with a rifle, that question? Her younger self would have laughed in her face. _Who the hell has kids at eighteen, Steela? And you don't need no man!_

The Steela of five years ago, the smiling puppet who she doesn't even recognize in photos of herself, would have had a much different answer. _Yes. A thousand times yes, I'd do anything to bring back Bastian._

The thought makes her want to puke.

She didn't see herself being twenty-three, the Queen of Onderon and mother to a five-year-old who likes bugs and finger-painting and occasionally makes her want to tear out her hair. But one fleeting glance of Lux's big baby-toothed smile is enough to make her forget every plan she laid.

She scoops him from her lap and holds him in front of her, meeting his big, love-filled eyes.

"Lux, if it means that I can be your mommy," she presses a kiss to her son's cheek, drawing a giggle from him. "Then I wouldn't change it for the world."

 **A/N: And that, dear readers and friends, is the end to _Lost Lamb_. **

**Honestly, the concept of an alternate sequel to _Black Sheep_ was a bit of a long shot, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped make this a success, especially to Martian Scout. With that being said, there will probably not be any more stories in this universe. **

**However, I have a question for all of you pertaining to the While Others series. Would you all like to see more stories about the Japrael Con Men, or is it best their adventure with Kira Narro was their last?**

 **Thank you to starwarshobbitfics, McAwsome, and Johnt12345 for reviewing. And speaking of which, please review and let me know what you think about the above question.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-LS**


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